Steven Spielberg‘s autobiographical drama The Fabelmans is currently making the rounds, but he’s already shifting focus to his next film.
The legendary director has cast Bradley Cooper to star in his next project, which will be an original feature based on the character of Frank Bullitt, the no-nonsense San Francisco cop played by Steve McQueen in 1968 thriller Bullitt.
Josh Singer, who previously worked with Spielberg on The Post, will write the screenplay. Though plot details are mostly under wraps, the film is expected to follow Bullitt on an entirely different exploit than the McQueen original.
The ’68 film was directed by Peter Yates and based on the 1963 novel Mute Witness. It became arguably McQueen’s most notable role, portraying a detective who investigates the death of a mob informant he was hired to protect. The movie is famous for one of the most iconic car chases in cinema history, with McQueen doing his own stunts in a modified Ford Mustang.
McQueen’s son Chad McQueen and granddaughter Molly McQueen will executive produce the film, which was already known about, having been reported on back in February, and could have actually been Spielberg’s next film after West Side Story before he decided to make The Fabelmans instead. But this is the first we’re hearing of Cooper’s casting.
Spielberg making (what’s expected to be) an action movie is very exciting, although any Spielberg film is always an event. More details about the project will be sought after, especially after The Fabelmans is expected to be a major awards player this winter.
Cooper is currently in post-production on his own directorial effort, Maestro, a biographical film based on the life of legendary composer Leonard Bernstein. Cooper will star, co-write, direct, and produce the project, which Spielberg himself developed for years before encouraging Cooper to helm it himself after seeing his work on A Star Is Born.
The Fabelmans is currently in select US cinemas and will go wide on Thanksgiving. Cooper’s Maestro is expected to be released by Netflix sometime in 2023.
#Peace.Love.Bullitt
