The Professionals set to abseil into cinema

Arse-kicking CI5 operatives Bodie and Doyle are to be brought out of retirement for a big-screen version of The Professionals.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Lionsgate UK has acquired the rights to adapt the TV series for cinema, some 28 years after the last of 57 episodes aired on London Weekend Television.

Lionsgate chief exec Zygi Kamasa enthused: "The Professionals was such an iconic British crime series that it's a fantastic opportunity for Lionsgate to be able to bring it to the big screen for the first time."

There's no word on who'll step into the shoes of Lewis Collins and Martin Shaw to tackle Bodie and Doyle, and we'll be eager to see if Lionsgate can find someone sufficiently Scottish and shouty to match Gordon Jackson's performance as George Cowley. ®