After slowing down for a couple of years, Will Smith seems to be back with a vengeance, as in the last couple of months he’s been busy filling his development slate. Now he got a new one, as he is in talks to star in and produce a modern remake of the The Wild Bunch for Warner Bros, according to TheWrap.
Sam Peckinpah directed the original movie, which starred William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, and Edmond O’Brien as a group of aging outlaws who plan one final score on the Texas-Mexico border. The reboot will be set in present day and focus on a crooked DEA agent who puts a team together to go after a Mexican drug lord’s fortune.
Back in January 2011, The Wild Bunch was mentioned as one of several titles Warner Bros. was looking to remake. Tony Scott was attached to direct, before he tragically died. David Ayer had been hired to write the screenplay for that version, but now Warner Bros. is seeking a new writer.
If a deal is finalised, Will Smith will produce alongside Jerry Weintraub, who he previously worked with on the 2010 The Karate Kid remake.
If he were just remaking a mediocre film from the distant (or not too distant) past, Will Smith wouldn’t have the big target that’s in the process of being painted on his back for daring to “reboot” a true all-American cinematic masterpiece in THE WILD BUNCH. This film doesn’t need a reboot. Period.