By Emmanuel Francq

TV movie 1/3 : The return of the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman / Mission bionique ou Le retour de l’homme qui valait trois billion et de Super Jaimie
Broadcast on: May 17, 1987 on NBC / Broadcast France on: December 30, 1989 (La Cinq)
Screenplay: Michael Sloan – Story of Michael Sloan and Bruce Lansbury / Director:
Ray Austin
Starring: Lee Majors (Steve Austin), Lindsay Wagner (Jaimie Sommers), Richard Anderson (Oscar Goldman), Martin E. Brooks (Dr. Rudy Wells), Martin Landau (Lyle Stenning), Lee Majors II (Jim Castillian), Gary Lockwood (John Praiser), Tom Schanley (Michael Austin), Bryan Cranston (A Surgeon)
Steve Austin has not worked for the OSI for 10 years. He now lives on a boat. Oscar Goldman came to offer him a return to work. The mission: to put an end to the activities of a terrorist group led by a man named Stenning. Austin reunites with Jaimie Sommers, for whom he still has romantic feelings. On the other hand, relations are more strained with his son Michael. He is a pilot in the army. When the latter has a serious plane crash, he begs Oscar Goldman to make him a new bionic being.
Comments:
– Originally, comedian Richard Anderson proposed to his on-screen co-stars to relaunch the two bionic series in the form of reunion TV movies. The screenplay is written by Michael Sloan, creator of the series “The Equalizer” (1985/89). Also behind the revival of the series “Kung Fu, the legend continues” (1993/97).
– Ray Austin began his career as a stuntman. He then directed many famous English series (“Bowler Hat and Leather Boots”, “Department S”, “Cosmos 1999“). Ray Austin then continued his career in the United States. In particular, he directed many popular series from the 70s and 80s (“Quincy”, “Magnum“, “Supercopter“, “Simon & Simon”, “For the Love of Risk“, etc.). To this must be added the two series by Lee Majors (“The Man Who Was Worth Three Billion” and “The Man Who Fell at the Right Time”).
– He is the real son of Lee Majors, born in 1962, who plays here with his father and in the two following TV movies. In 1990 and 1992, he played with his famous father in two series. It will be “Hell of Duty” and “Raven”. However, without continuing into an acting career afterwards.
– Known worldwide for portraying Dr. Frank Poole in Stanley Kubrick’s sci-fi classic “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968), Gary Lockwood had already starred twice in the 70s series, in the episodes “Eyewitness” (Season 1, Episode 7) and “Vengeance” (Season 2, Episode 22).
– As the villain of the TV movie, we find Martin Landau. He was the unforgettable Commander John Koenig in the sci-fi series “Cosmos 1999″ (1975/77). But he was already famous a few years before playing Rollin Hand, the spy with 1000 faces in the series “Mission: Impossible” (1965/73).
– In the role of the surgeon who saves Steve Austin’s son, a trained eye will have recognized Bryan Cranston. Future drug dealer Walter White in the cult classic “Breaking Bad” (2005/13).