Don't Worry, It's Not a Remake
Cassidy Rides Again In Blackthorn /
TK
Trade News | November 17, 2009 | Comments (8)
Arcadia Pictures is set to produce the new film directed by Mateo Gil (who wrote Vanilla Sky, the remake of Abre Los Ojos), called Blackthorn. It’s going to be a sequel, of sorts, to the classic Redford/Newman film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Set 15 years after Butch and Sundance’s last stand against the Bolivian police, it features Cassidy living in hiding and trying to come back to the U.S.
Now, I’m not a fan of sequels to the classics, but there’s some potential here. First of all, Cassidy is going to be played by Sam Shepard. The film will feature Eduardo Noriega as a cowboy who lost Cassidy’s fortune, forcing him to take one last job. Stephen Rea will play the man originally sent after Cassidy when he was still robbing banks determined to try to catch him once again. The film’s budget is a tiny one ($7.5 million), which likely works in its favor since it’ll likely be more of a character piece than a shoot-em-up.
In any event, I’m curious to see how Shepard takes on one of the most iconic Western roles ever — I can’t think of tougher shoes to fill that Paul Newman’s. And while the tired gunslinger taking one last job is certainly not a new concept, if executed well, Shepard could inject new life into it.
(h/t to Dark Horizons)
Comments
Posted by: figgy at November 17, 2009 11:52 AM
"Michael and I are a great team. We're like one of those classic famous teams. He's like Mozart and I'm like...Mozart's friend. No. I'm like Butch Cassidy and Michael is like...Mozart. You try and hurt Mozart? You're gonna get a bullet in your head courtesy of Butch Cassidy."
I think we need to cast Steve Carrell as Mozart and then you have a movie.