Charlie’s Angels’ is getting another shot at Hollywood, but Sony’s choice of writer hints at a totally different direction

Sony Pictures is working on a new Charlie’s Angels movie. They hired Pete Chiarelli to write the script. Chiarelli wrote big hits like Crazy Rich Asians and The Proposal. This choice shows the new film will focus more on comedy and fun characters.

Chiarelli is known for funny, character-focused stories, not serious spy movies. His work on Crazy Rich Asians showed he can handle big casts and important moments while keeping things entertaining. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sony seems to be moving away from the serious spy direction of the last movie and going back to something lighter and more focused on relationships.

The franchise started as a TV show that ran from 1976 to 1981. The crime drama helped make Aaron Spelling a major producer and turned its stars into household names, including Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson, and Jaclyn Smith. The show’s simple idea worked well: three talented women detectives work for the mysterious Charlie Townsend, who they never see, with Bosley as their only connection to their boss.

Recent failures pushed Sony toward a fresh comedy-focused approach

The Angels became a major success in 2000 when Columbia Pictures made it into a movie. Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Liu starred in the film directed by McG. It made $264.1 million worldwide, which would be almost half a billion dollars today. A sequel called Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle came out in 2003.

Since then, bringing back the franchise has been difficult. A new TV series in 2011 was canceled after just seven episodes. Sony tried another movie in 2019 directed by Elizabeth Banks, starring Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, and Ella Balinska.

That version made the Townsend Agency a global security service with teams around the world, but it failed at the box office. While some stars have chosen to leave Hollywood entirely, Sony remains committed to reviving this franchise.

After these failures, hiring a writer famous for comedy and romance shows Sony wants a different tone. Chiarelli also worked on the 2016 film Now You See Me 2 and Sony Pictures Animation’s new movie GOAT. His track record suggests he knows how to make entertaining films with strong characters.

The new project is still in early stages, so there are no casting announcements yet. However, there are rumors that Drew Barrymore and her Flower Films production company might return as producers. Flower Films made the successful early 2000s movies. The studio appears focused on real talent rather than Hollywood’s growing reliance on AI, which has sparked debate in the industry.

If Barrymore’s team returns and works with a writer who knows how to mix action with humor and heart, this could be the right formula. The combination might finally give Charlie’s Angels the successful comeback it needs after years of failed attempts.