Steven Spielberg is one of the most prolific directors in Hollywood. Very few filmmakers can claim to have helmed as many movies ranked among the greatest ever made as Spielberg. Spielberg is the director behindJaws,Close Encounters of the Third Kind, theIndiana Jonesseries,E.T.,Jurassic Park, andSchindler’s List– and he’s not slowing down any time soon. After enjoying one of the biggest critical successes of his career with his widely acclaimedWest Side Storyremake, Spielberg has a couple of exciting projects lined up.
His next movie,The Fabelmans, due to arrive in theaters this November, is a coming-of-age story inspired by Spielberg’s own childhood growing up in Arizona. It stars Michelle Williams as Spielberg’s mother,Paul Dano as his father, and Seth Rogen as his favorite uncle. This could be Spielberg’s most deeply personal work to date, visualizing the memories of his youth through the lens of cinematic nostalgia. For the first time since 2001’sA.I. Artificial Intelligence, Spielberg has a writing credit on the film (alongside regular collaborator Tony Kushner). OnceThe Fabelmansis in the can, Spielberg will move on to revamping another ‘60s cinema classic. But instead of adapting another lavish Hollywood musical likeWest Side Story, Spielberg will be adapting the game-changing, action-packed 1968 neo-noir classicBullitt.
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UnlikeWest Side Story,Spielberg’sBullittprojectisn’t a straightforward remake imitating the familiar plot of a beloved gem. Josh Singer, the Oscar-winning screenwriter who co-wrote Spielberg’s political docudramaThe Postwith Liz Hannah, has been tapped to come up with an original story revolving around the Frank Bullitt character. Since 1968’sBullittis one of the most groundbreaking action movies of all time, and it has stood the test of time more than half a century later, Spielberg’s reimagining might struggle to prove that it needs to exist, let alone live up to the original’s iconic legacy.
Spielberg’s West Side Story Is A Promising Sign
In any other circumstances, aBullittreboot would be met with more skepticism. But Spielberg has announced hisBullittproject on the heels of receiving some of the best reviews of his career for remaking a classic ‘60s movie.2021’sWest Side Storyis a dazzling delightthat matches the cinematic experience of the original and takes it a few steps further. Some critics boldly declared Spielberg’sWest Side Storyto be an improvement over the 1961 original. In the original movie, the camera remains static in a lot of the dance sequences, so it’s more or less the same experience as watching the show on a Broadway stage.
Spielberg utilized the mobility of the camera and tasked Janusz Kamiński, his go-to cinematographer since 1993, with capturing the dances in meticulously planned, perfectly executed long takes. Spielberg and Kamiński can do the same with the action set-pieces of theirBullittmovie.Spielberg’s signature onerscould make the reboot’s action even more engaging and visceral than the original. That might seem impossible, given how memorable the action sequences in the originalBullittare, but the spectacle of 1961’sWest Side Storydidn’t seem like it could be topped and Spielberg pulled that off.
It’ll be tricky to top the riveting action sequences from 1968’sBullitt, particularlythe revolutionary car chasewhose razor-sharp cutting won editor Frank P. Keller an Oscar. But Spielberg has a hard-earned reputation as one of Hollywood’s best action directors. Both refreshing and nostalgic, the action sequences in theIndiana Jonesmovies masterfully evoke classic action-adventure serials with practical stunt work, clarity of movement, and clearly defined stakes. Spielberg’sBullittfilm has the potential to bringthe pulpy, old-school action of theIndiana Jonesfranchiseonto the crime-ridden streets of San Francisco.
Don’t Cast A Steve McQueen Impersonator
Spielberg might be coming up with an original story for hisBullittmovie, but it’s not the mafia double-crossing that made the 1968 movie compelling; it was Steve McQueen’s iconic, cool-as-ice portrayal of the titular tough-as-nails cop. The key to making thisBullittreboot work is finding a lead actor who won’t just do a McQueen impression. Spielberg needs to find an actor with McQueen’s ice-cool movie-star charisma who can put his own iconic spin on the role. Maybe he could reunite withhisCatch Me If You Canstar, Leonardo DiCaprio.
Little is known about theBullittreboot except that Spielberg is still working out the script with Singer and it’ll follow an original storyline about the eponymous detective. While Spielberg isbusy finishing upThe Fabelmans, there probably won’t be any more announcements about hisBullittupdate. But, at the very least, the fact that McQueen’s son Chad and granddaughter Molly are serving as executive producers is a good sign that the new movie will honor and respect the legacy of the 1968 original.
