Steven Spielberg is looking to the 1960s for inspiration for a new project. The filmmaker is developing a film based on the Steve McQueen character Frank Bullitt, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
The film would not be a remake of the 1968 film Bullitt, but rather an original take on the character. Deadline first reported the news of the project, which Spielberg would direct for Warner Bros., where the rights reside. Spielberg would also produce with Kristie Macosko Krieger. Josh Singer, who penned Spielberg’s The Post, would write the script. No deals are yet in place for the project, which would be executive produced by the late McQueen’s son, Chad, and granddaughter Molly McQueen. It is not expected to be the next project Spielberg would direct.
Bullitt starred McQueen as a San Francisco police lieutenant tasked with protecting a Chicago gangster scheduled to testify against the mob. When the witness is murdered, Bullitt is set on a path to track down the killers. The film earned two Oscar nominations and featured a head-turning, 11-minute car chase sequence. It would go on to become one of McQueen’s more enduring roles.
Spielberg is currently in the Oscar race for West Side Story, which landed seven nominations, including best director and best picture. He next has the semi-autobiographical film The Fablemans is due in theaters on Thanksgiving of this year. The Fablemans is loosely based on the filmmaker’s formative years and stars Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Paul Dano and Gabriel LaBelle.
