It’s been a long time in coming, but we’re finally getting closer to seeing Baywatch on the big screen. One of the most-watched television shows in the world has found its movie scriptwriters, meaning the only thing holding it back now is onscreen talent. After all, Jessica Simpson can’t be the only star.

Baywatch is the series that turned David Hasselhoff from a guy who talked to a car in Knight Rider, to simply the “Hoff.” The show revolves around Los Angeles lifeguards and the drama that surrounds them both at work and at play. Because of the attractiveness of the stars, it became more known for being eye-candy than for its plotlines. It made a star of Pamela Anderson, and other castmembers include Michael Newman, Parker Stevenson, Billy Warlock, Shawn Weatherly, Alexandra Paul, David Charvet, Nicole Eggert, and Yasmine Bleeth.

The series changed setting in 1999 and continued on as Baywatch Hawaii until 2001. It’s never been forgotten. In 2004, Dreamworks bought the rights to the series with thoughts of making it into a 2012 film. Oddly, since then only one star has been snatched up for the theatrical release, and that’s Jessica Simpson. She’ll reportedly be playing the role that made Anderson famous, that of C.J. Parker. Of course, that would have been a better move back in 2006 when she signed onto the project than now. Her star doesn’t seem to be shining quite as bright these days. Not that Anderson’s is either, after falling to the bottom two in the first voting week of Dancing with the Stars.

Baywatch certainly wasn’t known for its great stories. Perhaps that’s why the majority of this prep time has been spent on finding the perfect writers for the project. First, Jeremy Garelick, the writer behind The Break-Up, was brought in to write and direct.

Now, the team of Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka have been hired to write the screenplay for Paramount. They’re currently working on an untitled film to star Jonah Hill. It looks like producers are looking for the Baywatch movie to have a tongue-in-cheek approach, and in fact is being compared to the film adaptation of Charlie’s Angels.

Maybe it’s a good time to get this project off the ground and pull the former series stars off the reality TV ground they’ve been languishing in. With Anderson currently on Dancing with the Stars, Nicole Eggert is on Celebrity Fit Club. David Charvet is a past celebrity on Dancing with the Stars, and David Chokachi and Jeremy Jackson have appeared on Confessions of a Teen Idol. Each could probably use a good meaty role again, or at the very least a movie cameo.

Perhaps this is why Nicole Eggert is firming up again, and or the reason behind The Hoff left America’s Got Talent. It was assumed at the time that it had something to do with his alcoholism, but hopefully that’s in the past and instead he’s looking for a rebirth through the concept that made him an international celebrity.

What do you think? Are you interested in seeing the Baywatch movie? Should TV castmembers be included? Who would you like to see?