All My Children fans have been waiting a decade for ABC to bring the beloved soap opera back to life, so what's a few more months of waiting while the network presumably ponders the future of the soap's primetime reboot? Agony, that's what!
There's been no major news or update about the project (tentatively titled Pine Valley) since creator, writer, and co-executive producer Leo Richardson confirmed that he had finished the pilot script back in February, and fans were sorely disappointed when the project wasn't rolled out during ABC's recent upfronts (an event in which the network introduces its fall offerings). No news can mean good news, but the lack of updates has many fans wondering if the AMC reboot is still a go or if their hopes and dreams of seeing the soap opera come back to life are deader than Leo du Pres.
Fortunately, Richardson assured passionate AMC enthusiasts in a tweet late last week that Pine Valley still has a very strong chance of making it to air, even though ABC has given "no update yet" on the development side of things.
"I wrote the script, true to what I pitched and sold to ABC, and we are waiting now. I am incredibly proud of what we have cooked up and we will keep you posted," he shared, adding that Pine Valley is more likely to become a reality if fans "make some noise" to capture the attention of ABC and ABC Signature, the production company behind the potential series.
Been getting a lot of DM's on here and IG about #PineValley recently. No update YET... I wrote the script, true to what I pitched and sold to ABC, and we are waiting now. I am incredibly proud of what we have cooked up and we will keep you posted. Fingers crossed for us pls.🤞🏻❤️
- leo richardson (@leo_richardson) July 9, 2021
In a separate Instagram post made back in April, Richardson tried to keep fans positive about the Pine Valley project going from a script to the screen. He wrote, "It's a long process but it'll happen!"
As Soap Central previously reported, the All My Children reboot is being co-executive produced by Richardson along with Andrew Stearn; AMC alums Kelly Ripa (ex-Hayley Santos) and Mark Consuelos (ex-Mateo Santos); and Robert Nixon, son of the late Agnes Nixon, who created both AMC and One Life to Live. The series will focus on "the children of Pine Valley," with the pilot kicking things off by introducing a young journalist with a secret agenda who hopes to expose the dark and murderous history of Pine Valley, only to become entangled in a feud between the Kane and Santos families.
"Expect the unexpected, expect darkness, a wicked wit, fun and a very new take on an old classic... with the ultimate respect for All My Children and the icons in #PineValley," Richardson teased in December 2020. "Bob Nixon, Agnes Nixon's son, said that he felt like his Mom would be smiling down, knowing her show was in the right hands. I hope [he's] right. Andrew Stearn is a living AMC encyclopedia and then of course we have some [of] it's most iconic characters producing and who might even make a cameo or two."
Though there hasn't been any official casting news announced, IMDb lists Consuelos, Ripa, and AMC legend Susan Lucci (ex-Erica Kane) as the first stars of Pine Valley. Eva LaRue (ex-Maria Santos) is also rumored to be part of the project, which she declared is "very real" on a recent episode of Daily Blast Live (below). "It's in the works," LaRue says of Pine Valley, "[But] we're kind of in the dark until we're up and shooting."
What are your thoughts on ABC's radio silence concerning the All My Children primetime reboot? Do you think Pine Valley will truly become a reality? If so, what are your hopes for the soap's nighttime revival? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
