Posted by Kirk in Director, General News, Remakes | 1 comment
Spielberg No Longer Interested in HARVEY
Fans of fine, original cinema can rejoice. At least this day. Steven Spielberg, who has been working on a remake of the James Stewart-starring classic HARVEY, has announced to 20th Century Fox that he is stepping away from the project. This news comes from Variety, who is saying Spielberg’s departure has been confirmed, though no reasons have been given.
The film and Spielberg’s involvement as director was announced this past August. Since that time, Spielberg has had a difficult time finding an actor who would want to step into Stewart’s iconic role of a man who has a giant rabbit for an imaginary friend. Tom Hanks, a shoe-in for the role, was approached first, but he turned it down. Robert Downey Jr. was also in talks for the role, but he and Spielberg never saw eye-to-eye about the direction of the film.
20th Century Fox was to co-produce the film with DreamWorks, and soundstages were being booked for production to begin in early 2010. With Spielberg’s departure, don’t expect the project to fall into the ether by any stretch of the imagination. Fox will continue to push the project forward with a different director in the driver’s seat. Two questions now remain. Who will step in to direct HARVEY and what will be Spielberg’s next, directing gig?
If you have any thoughts on either of these, let us know in the comments section below.
I honestly don't know who I would consider worthy enough to remake Harvey, including Spielberg. Too much of the movie has been lost due to cultural shifts through time. 50 years ago it seemed to be much more taboo to admit to being on any medication; and the argument of individuality versus medicated compliance to societal norms was much more poignant than it is now. While a movie like this that poses the ethical questions it does is needed more than ever, I don't see how it can be appropriately remade without losing a lot of its heart.
And I think Spielberg should cover The Revolutionary War, Civil War, or maybe Prussian Army in one of his next films. Wars and military movies have definitely been his strong suit while his stuff pertaining to aliens has degraded over time.