MOVIE NEWS – Steven Spielberg is once again back in the director’s chair for a new film inspired by the 1968 action thriller Bullitt.

Legendary director Steven Spielberg has set his sights on another big project. According to Deadline, Spielberg has been commissioned to direct a new film that will follow Frank Bullitt, the fictional action hero played by Steve McQueen in the 1968 thriller Bullitt. Spielberg will produce the film alongside Kristie Macosko Krieger, with Josh Singer writing the script. It is unlikely to be the next film Spielberg will direct, as the script is still not finished, so it is not known when the project will be developed.

It’s reportedly a passion project for Spielberg, who has been thinking about directing a film based on the title character from Bullitt for years. Last year, he was close to making the project as a sequel to West Side Story, but negotiations with the McQueen estate over the rights to the character stalled those plans. Spielberg has since completed a semi-autobiographical inspired film, The Fabelmans, and once filming was complete, Spielberg was able to finalise plans for Bullitt.

Bullitt, released in 1968, was directed by Peter Yates and written by Harry Kleiner and Alan R. Trustman. Based on Robert L. Fish’s 1963 novel The Silent Witness, the film stars Steve McQueen as Lieutenant Frank Bullitt alongside Robert Vaughn and Jacqueline Bisset. In the movie, Bullitt (McQueen) takes on the mob to find the underworld boss who killed the witness he was protecting.

So far, not much information has been released about Spielberg’s Bullitt film, but it is rumoured that it will not be a direct remake. Instead, he will take on the Frank Bullitt character, with a new actor in the role, and give him an original story. Even if this is the case, certain throwbacks and references will be worth seeking out for fans.

This news follows Spielberg’s name, receiving a lot of recognition at this year’s awards season due to the success of West Side Story. The feature film earned six Oscar nominations, including Best Director for Spielberg alongside Best Picture. Whether the film will pull in the wins will be revealed in March. Meanwhile, The Fabelmans will hit theatres on Thanksgiving this year, so Spielberg will continue to be a presence in Hollywood as he shifts his focus from one project to another.

At one point, Spielberg was also set to direct Indiana Jones 5, returning after helming the previous instalments in the series. As that project was continually delayed, Spielberg eventually handed over the directing duties to James Mangold, although he will remain involved as a producer on the sequel. He is also executive producing some other upcoming feature films, such as Jurassic World Dominion and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.

It is not yet known when the new Bullitt film will start shooting. As it is still in early development, without a finished script, no cast has been announced yet. No release date has been set yet.

Source : Movieweb