If it weren't for the color of Regis Philbin's shirt, it might seem like 10 years hadn't flown by.

He was back on a colorful Manhattan soundstage, sitting across from nervous contestants hoping to strike it rich, taping a prime-time version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." The game show will air on ABC for 11 nights, starting Sunday and ending two weeks later.

Philbin's shirt was white. The dark shirt with dark tie look, a signature that enabled Philbin to launch a now-defunct clothing line, was left in the closet.

The Oscar-winning movie "Slumdog Millionaire," in which a version of the game show played a central role, left Philbin yearning for a chance to relive a highlight of his career.

"The most striking thing is how much this means to Regis, and therefore, how much this means to me," said Michael Davies, who returns as executive producer.

Nostalgia aside, the game's corporate owners saw a chance to revive the brand for new viewers and electronic devices.

The syndicated version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" with Meredith Vieira still airs each day. "This is a business play," Davies said.

The game premiered modestly in August 1999 with just under 10 million viewers and caught fire, drawing 22.4 million by the end of its summer run and even more on a November return. "Is that your final answer?" became a national catchphrase. ABC rode the hit hard until it expired in 2002. Including a handful of "Super Millionaire" specials in 2004, the network aired 363 prime-time episodes.

"What are you going to do? You do what your boss wants," Philbin said. "When it went off, I thought that's what you get for giving too much of it away to the audience."