English film director Steven Spielberg is developing a film on the character of Frank Bullitt, earlier played by the late actor Steve McQueen in the 1968 cop thriller Bullitt.
The upcoming project will not be a remake of the film but an original story based on the titular character. The original film was based on the 1963 novel Mute Witness, which focuses on a cop in San Francisco who has to investigate the death of a mob informant. Known for having one of the most iconic car chases in cinema history, Bullitt also won the Academy Award that year for Best Editing and Sound.
The new project will be written by Josh Singer, who has previously collaborated with Spielberg on the 2017 film The Post. Spielberg will co-produce the film along with Kristie Macosko Krieger.
Steve McQueen’s son Chad and granddaughter Molly will also serve as the film’s executive producers. Reportedly, the Oscar-winning director has been keen on making a film on the character of Bullitt but it took a while for them to negotiate a deal with McQueen’s estate.
The script is yet to be finalised for the new film, as talks are ongoing. Warner Bros. has been roped in for the project since they were also associated with the 1968 film.
Meanwhile, Steven Spielberg is working on the post-production of his semi-autobiographical film The Fabelmans. While details about the film have been kept under wraps, the movie reportedly looks into Spielberg’s time in Arizona. The film is expected to release sometime in November this year.
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Apart from this, the filmmaker has been gearing up for the upcoming Oscar’s season. His reimagining of the classic musical West Side Story has garnered seven Academy Award nominations. Spielberg has once again been nominated in the Best Director and Best Picture categories. This makes him the first person in history to receive 11 nominations in the Best Picture category. He is also one of very few filmmakers to have raked in more than eight nominations in the Best Director category, as well.