Steven Spielberg working on film on Steve McQueen's 'Bullitt' character
Acclaimed Hollywood filmmaker Steven Spielberg has an exciting project in development, as per reports. The Schindler's List helmer is planning to direct a film around the iconic character of Frank Bullitt seen in the 1968 movie Bullitt. Originally played by the late legendary actor Steve McQueen, Spielberg's project will be not a remake but an original story on the character. Here's what we know.
Spielberg has been toying with this idea for a while
According to Deadline, The Post director has had the idea of developing something on Frank Bullitt, the no-nonsense San Francisco police officer, for a while now. In fact, he apparently wished to work on it as his next project after West Side Story last year. But talks over the rights to the character from McQueen's estate reportedly took longer than expected, delaying the process.
No script or deal has been finalized yet
Currently, the director is working on his semi-autobiographical flick The Fablemans. Deadline suggests Spielberg will pick up the Bullitt-based film after that. At this point, no script or deal has been finalized. However, McQueen's son Chad and granddaughter Molly are said to executive produce with Spielberg and Kristie Macosko Krieger set to produce. The Warner Bros. production will have Josh Singer as the scriptwriter.
Original movie received cult status for its car chase sequence
On Friday, Warner Bros. and production firm Amblin confirmed such a project was under development. Notably, the original film, directed by Peter Yates, was released by Warner Bros. and produced by McQueen's production company, Solar Productions. The action flick is most famously known for its car chase sequence through the streets of San Francisco. We are yet to know other details about the project.
Meanwhile, 'West Side Story' has bagged multiple nods at Oscars
Coming back to Spielberg, the 75-year-old is awaiting the release of The Fablemans in November this year, targeting Thanksgiving. Other than that, the honed filmmaker might pick up more Academy Awards next month. His 2021 release, West Side Story, adapted from the original 1957 Broadway show, has been nominated in a total of seven categories, including Best Director and Best Picture.