It appears that Warner Bros. is returning to the scene of the crime, as it’s being reported that the studio has put a new film in The Fugitive series is now in development. The 1993 film, which starred Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones, was a critical and commercial success, becoming one of the more iconic films of the 1990s. It was also one of the first successful adaptations of a TV show to a movie, showing that the line could be crossed and done correctly, if you had the right people involved.
Deadline was the first to report the news on the new film in The Fugitive series, which will see the producers of the original film, Arnold and Anne Kopelson, return as well. The film is being written by Christina Hodson, with hopes to shoot it in early 2016. That seems like a tall order, as the film has no director or actors attached yet, but it’s not completely unheard of.
Warner Bros. wouldn’t comment on if Ford or Jones would be returning to the film, but with so much of the blood of the original film behind the scenes, I’d be surprised if one or the other doesn’t return. Ford in particular is making a return to some of his more prominent film roles as of late, having reprised the role of Indiana Jones just a few years ago, his return as Han Solo this December, and Richard Deckard in Blade Runner 2 coming soon. Ford has a good relationship with WB as of late, having given a critical hailed performance as Branch Rickey in their Jackie Robinson biopic, 42, as well as returning to the world of Blade Runner in the long awaited sequel. It doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility that they may bring back Ford, especially considering The Fugitive‘s Richard Kimble is one of his most iconic and well known characters.
It’ll be interesting to see if they can rope Tommy Lee Jones back into the film as well. Jones won an Academy Award for his role as U.S. Marshall Sam Gerard, a no-nonsense man who only cares about finishing his mission, not the facts behind what may or may not be the truth. Jone reprised the role in the less than warmly received U.S. Marshals, which saw Gerard following another wrongfully accused criminal, this time played by Wesley Snipes. The film tried to emulate The Fugitive, but it could never get out of the shadow of the original film, and it stumbled because of it.
The big question outside of Ford and Jones returning, will be who they get to helm the new film. Andrew Davis, who directed the original film, has’t done anything since 2006’s The Guardian, which starred Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher, so the odds of Warner Bros. returning to helm the project seems slim at best. There’s many great director’s out there that could make a more than thrilling follow up that is in the vein of Davis’ original film.
For me, Jeff Nichols, who directed the 2013 film Mud, or Brian Helgeland, who directed Ford in 42 and Mel Gibson’s Payback, are two directors I’d love to see behind the lens of this new film in The Fugitive series. Both work incredibly well with actors, getting the best out of them, which is important for a cat-and-mouse style thriller. Both also have an interesting visual style that could complement the film, as well as the series, and I’d like to see what they’d do with it. Nichols was actually on Warner Bros’ shortlist for Aquaman for some time, so clearly the studio has their eyes on him, so I’d like to see them hand him the keys to this franchise, bringing it to a new generation.
For now, that’s about all we know about this new film in The Fugitive series, and it’ll be interesting to watch the project come together over the next few months. In the meantime, check out the trailer for the original film below, and sound off on your thoughts below.