Spielberg to remake Bullitt

[Jantrix]

C'mon! Are all the original ideas taken? This remake crapola has got to stop. I'll admit, there are old movies with legendary actors, that could stand a remake. 3:10 to Yuma was one. Glenn Fords movie was a good one, but it had been largely overlooked on the list of great westerns. Then there are others that will stand the test of time on their own. When the Coen Bros. remade the Dukes, True grit, I was livid. This has got to stop. I am not happy.

Bradley Cooper Cast in Steven Spielberg's Bullitt (msn.com)

[Mark]

True Grit wasn't really a "remake", but another treatment of the original novel.  John Wayne's version had a few tweaks to make it more of a "John Wayne movie", and that's OK.  He knew what his fans wanted, and he delivered.  The Coen Brothers' version supposedly stayed closer to the book, which I haven't read.  Both versions are great as far as I'm concerned.

But yes, most of the remakes don't make any sense.  The theatre within walking distance of my house had The Warriors on the marquee a couple of months back.  I asked a guy I know about it, who is more into newer movies.  Yup, a remake.  "Why?"  Apparently some of the supposedly up-and-coming directors have a thing about remaking their favorites.  They'd be better served by coming up with original ideas, but I guess those are hard to come by.

Why Bullitt?  Besides the chase, it's a run-of-the-mill late Sixties cop movie.  The Musclecar Review article on it claimed the chase was added after production began, that Steve McQueen and a few other people involved knew the film was a turkey as originally planned (without it).  Most people who have seen it multiple times couldn't remember the overall story if you quizzed them about it.

[TonyK]

Not a fan of remakes either. Especially don't understand when someone wants to remake a movie such as Bullitt when you've got Steve McQueen as the star. Really? How ya gonna replace him?!

[Ace-Garageguy]

I'm really looking forward to the woke remake of It's a Wonderful Life, with Whoopie Goldberg in the Jimmy Stewart role, and Harry Styles in the Donna Reed part.   

Edited November 18, 2022 by Ace-Garageguy
TYPO

[iamsuperdan]

I don't know how I feel about this.

On the one hand, Bullitt is an awesome classic and should not be touched. 

On the other hand, if it weren't for the car chase, no one would remember the movie because the story was weak, the acting was flat, and overall its bad. Yes, I said it. It's a bad movie and McQueen was not good in it Plus, Spielberg does great work and I like Bradley Cooper. Especially when he's a racoon.

 

I guess overall, I'm interested to see how it turns out.

 

[1972coronet]

I'd say that Spielberg would be better of remaking Duel. The Sierra Highway, Agua Dolce, etc., etc., is still pretty desolate, so the remake would work. 

FWIW, I'd like to see a remake of The Friends of Eddie Coyle , with the remake keeping truer to the novel. Set it in 1970 (the year the novel was published), and toe-the-line with accuracy.
IMO, Quentin Tarantino should do this -- the character Jackie Brown got her name from the gunrunner (Steven Keats) name, so the influence and passion is there.

[Calb56]

1 hour ago, iamsuperdan said:

I don't know how I feel about this.

On the one hand, Bullitt is an awesome classic and should not be touched. 

On the other hand, if it weren't for the car chase, no one would remember the movie because the story was weak, the acting was flat, and overall its bad. Yes, I said it. It's a bad movie and McQueen was not good in it Plus, Spielberg does great work and I like Bradley Cooper. Especially when he's a racoon.

 

I guess overall, I'm interested to see how it turns out.

 

It's more of a "reboot" than a remake https://deadline.com/2022/11/bradley-cooper-frank-bullitt-steven-spielberg-steve-mcqueen-1235168968/

We'll see... I enjoy the original but I agree with your assessment of it being a "meh" movie.

Hollywood is and always been an industry and now it's blatantly owned by huge corporations but sometimes art sneaks in. For decades, it goes back to familiar properties to "capture " an audience, look at Star Trek, Star Wars, Scooby-Doo for goodness sakes. As well how many times can Batman and Spider-Man be re-imagined?

Still some new takes have been good, I thought "True Grit ", both versions, as well as "Nightmare Alley" were well done. I appreciated Peter Jackson's take on "King Kong" and Denis Villeneuve's vision of "Dune". I also think that there is a mountain of new material to mine. Novels, original ideas, even graphic novels. There is a lot of creative talent out there and not every film should be based on demographics and what your algorithms or executives with out a creative bone in their body should make every decision. 

Edited November 18, 2022 by Calb56

[Bullybeef]

As was mentioned above the story line arc for Bullit it was kinda weak, and we as car people only really like the chase scene. I’ve watched a couple of originals vs remakes lately and while some are markedly better, sometimes the originals are better because of the story line. Recently i watched Point blank with Lee Marvin, and followed up with Payback a Mel Gibson flick, both had their good and bad moments. 
id like to see what Spielberg can do with the weak story of Bullit and maybe the car chase can be improved on.

Edited November 18, 2022 by Bullybeef

[Rob Hall]

Maybe it will be set in 2022, and Frank Bullitt will drive a dark green Mustang Mach-e and the villains a black Hellcat Charger... that would be cool.

[Calb56]

11 minutes ago, Bullybeef said:

 and maybe the car chase can be improved on.

According to IMDB.com "During the car chase, the villain's car loses 5 hubcaps." Maybe now they can lose 8?

[Mark]

I thought it lost seven wheel covers.  Maybe it was five, and two were still on the car at the end.  

[1930fordpickup]

Who is Bradley Cooper?  I really have no idea other than the name rings a bell. The reason is I don't go to the movies much anymore as they are all the same in one form or another.  Same format just a different place and time. Yes I am more of a comedy guy when it comes to movies. 

If they want to remake a movie why not take one like this stinker Xanadu and make it a better movie if you are that good. No I don't want a remake of that but any bad movie is my point. 

[Bullybeef]

41 minutes ago, Calb56 said:

According to IMDB.com "During the car chase, the villain's car loses 5 hubcaps." Maybe now they can lose 8?

That’s kinda what I was implying, the continuity errors. 

[Calb56]

2 minutes ago, Bullybeef said:

That’s kinda what I was implying, the continuity errors. 

I figured... continuity errors always pull me out of a movie. 

[Matt Bacon]

It's not a remake... different movie featuring Frank Bullitt.

Anyone remember the 1968 movie The Detective, starring Frank Sinatra? Based on a book by Roderick Thorp. Who also write a sequel about the same lead character, a cop, called Nothing Lasts Forever.

Years later, it got turned into a movie. They changed the title. It was called..... Die Hard.

let's wait and see, eh?

best,

M.

 

[1972coronet]

RE: The "loss" of 5-7 wheel covers ("hubcaps", colloq.) from the Charger:
Many of the scenes are the same scene shot from multiple angles. The flying wheel covers only number to maybe two overall. 

As far as the "rest" of the film: it's based upon a novel (novella?) whose title is Mute Witness. I've never read the novel story, so I can't opine from that perspective; only from the film perspective. 
It is tough to follow, as its characters are ambiguous -- Chicago Connection Mafia (called Organisation), Neo-Noir stuff. 

I enjoy it.

[Calb56]

As an aside, The Criterion Channel does film noir every November. Pretty cool to see movies you can't find streaming anywhere else really. I love Film Noir and some of the Neo Noir...

[Oldcarfan27]

Don't worry, pretty sure Nicolas Cage will drive the pseudo Shelby clone Mustang and I think Angelina Jolie Drives the 2015 Charger that gets blown up using substandard CG effects. And the story will have some lame politically correct inoffensive storyline that nobody will be interested in, so the movie is banked on being a huge money maker.

Not!!

So much easier than writing all new, original screenplays. 

[Matt Bacon]

13 minutes ago, Oldcarfan27 said:So much easier than writing all new, original screenplays. 

Not exactly Spielberg’s MO, though, is it? If he’s doing it, it’s because he’s got a reason, and thinks he’ll make a good movie. YMMV, but for this outsider, he’s the greatest American film maker working today. Part of that is because the world’s best talent (not “just” actors) want to work with him, but frankly the man’s a genius…

best,

M.

[1972coronet]

2 hours ago, Calb56 said:

I love Film Noir and some of the Neo Noir.

Me too. Those 1940's-1950's Los Angeles/Bunker Hill settings are GREAT. 

Neo-Noir... Eddie Coyle is my favourite, as is Charley Varrick (and certainly others which are too many to list). 

[NYLIBUD]

Ok I agree Bullitt was a little bit slow,but still a great flick.Anything with McQueen was great,up to his last film,The Hunter,[1980],where he plays of all things, a bounty hunter.Which was sort of a black comedy,if you haven’t seen it yet.And oddly enough, IMO,it too had a great chase scene,first beginning on foot,and then ending with a minor car chase,all while he’s chasing a felony bounty jumper..And for someone like me,who just loves a great car chase,The 7Ups,The French Connection,or even The Driver,(Ryan O’Neil),the chase scene in Bullitt was epic.So Spielberg better get it right.Idk I guess we will just have to wait and see.No matter what,it really sucks that we lost Steve McQueen at such a young age of 50,as he was exposed to asbestos while serving in the United States Marine Corps in the late 40s.Who knows how many other great movies he would have made.Although I do have to say that I feel that Steve McQueen’s best movie was Papillon,[1973],alongside Dustin Hoffman..

Edited November 18, 2022 by NYLIBUD

[TonyK]

Yes, he is amazing in Papillion and so is Dustin Hoffman. Those 2 are great in almost every movie they do. Papillion made me hate nuns and love island girls. heh heh

[Can-Con]

Worst remake ever?? 

Footloose 2011. ??

[Snake45]

1 hour ago, Can-Con said:

Worst remake ever?? 

Footloose 2011. ??

Assault on Precinct 13.

[Calb56]

2 hours ago, 1972coronet said:

Me too. Those 1940's-1950's Los Angeles/Bunker Hill settings are GREAT. 

Neo-Noir... Eddie Coyle is my favourite, as is Charley Varrick (and certainly others which are too many to list). 

My favorite film noir is probably "The Big Heat" with Glenn Ford and directed by Fritz Lang...and there I go hijacking a thread, so back to your regular programming.