Hollywood Producers, Engineers Looking For 'The Next MacGyver'

BEVERLY HILLS (CBSLA.com) — Hollywood producers are hoping to team up with local scientists for a possible reboot of a classic 80s TV show.

Twelve finalists were set Tuesday to present their concepts for "The Next MacGyver" competition to a panel of Hollywood producers and engineers at The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills.

Created by the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and the National Academy of Engineering to introduce a new iconic TV series starring a female engineer and developed in conjunction with MacGyver creator Lee Zlotoff and The MacGyver Foundation, the contest drew nearly 2,000 entries worldwide in just over two months, according to spokeswoman Lisa Inouye.

The project - which began earlier this year to inspire greater interest in the field of engineering, particularly among young women - will award five winners with a monetary prize, as well as being paired with producers and engineers who will mentor them in developing original pilot screenplays.

Finalists include men and women from as close as Culver City, Marina del Rey, and Long Beach, to Canada and Australia.

The contest's premise traces back to the late 1980s TV show "MacGyver" which featured a genius title character MacGyver whose name became synonymous with the ability to solve complex problems using only the resources at hand, particularly in the face of a crisis.