Spielberg's Next: 'Harvey.' Yes, That One
Filed under: Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, 20th Century Fox, Dreamworks, Steven Spielberg
Next stop for the world's greatest director: another remake. Steven Spielberg may or may not be the world's "greatest" director, but he is arguably the most influential filmmaker of his generation, so when he commits to make a movie, attention must be paid. Spielberg's next film will not be Matt Helm or any of the other ones that Elisabeth listed for us just a couple of days ago. No it will be ... Harvey, according to Variety. Yes, the one about the invisible rabbit.
The article describes the project as an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1944 play by Mary Chase, but we all know the story better from the 1950 film starring James Stewart and his constant companion, a very tall rabbit named Harvey that no one else can see. Casting and pre-production will begin immediately, and filming is expected to begin in early 2010. Harvey will be a co-production between 20th Century and Dreamworks, with 50% financing provided by Reliance, the new financial backer of Dreamworks. With that kind of schedule, it sounds like the film may be aiming for theaters in Christmas 2010, though no release date has been announced.
The original film was charming almost despite itself, in large measure due to James Stewart's amiable personality and a heartwarming message well-suited for the time. Novelist Jonathan Tropper (This is Where I Leave You) has written the new adaptation. My concern for the project is Spielberg's past tendency to drip too much sentiment on certain sequences (i.e. the ending of War of the Worlds), to the detriment of the material. The other concern: who is this generation's James Stewart? What do you think of the project, and who do you think could play the part?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
8-02-2009 @ 5:56PM
JDog said...
Does matter who I think is this gen's James Stewart when Hollywood/Spielberg will cast the likes of Jim Carrey
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8-02-2009 @ 6:29PM
glyn said...
Who is this generations James Stewart?
Tom Hanks. OBVIOUSLY.
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8-02-2009 @ 6:37PM
Paul Nicholson said...
Agreed. Tom Hanks. Especially with Spielberg involved, if Hanks doesn't get it, my grasp of the universe is more loose than i imagined.
8-02-2009 @ 6:42PM
Akiva said...
I'd think Paul Giamatti would be perfect for this.
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8-02-2009 @ 7:00PM
Greg said...
I think Tom Hanks is this generations Jimmy Stewart
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8-02-2009 @ 7:30PM
Diane said...
I definitely agree with everyone that has said that TOM HANKS is the 21st Century JAMES STEWART!! He would play the part to perfection......... I only hope TOM will accept the part if asked!'
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8-02-2009 @ 7:29PM
Monika said...
Edward Herrmann -- He was wonderful in a stage adaptation in 1990.
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8-02-2009 @ 7:35PM
viewdrix said...
Since Steve Carell passed on The Beaver, which is almost-sorta-kinda-a-little-similar to this and which he was perfect for, I'd love to see him do this.
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8-02-2009 @ 7:36PM
Stan Winsome said...
Tom Hanks- and I'm barfing now...
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8-02-2009 @ 8:19PM
kbradsher said...
Tom Hanks IS this gens Jimmy Stewart and will be perfect.
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8-02-2009 @ 10:52PM
Jeremy said...
Tom Hanks is a good idea I think...
On a different note, I always thought of Donnie Darko as a creepy take on Harvey.
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8-02-2009 @ 11:56PM
Wexler said...
Yes! I always compared Darko to Harvey as well.
I hope Spielberg has a good angle on this one, otherwise it's going to end up being a real waste.
8-02-2009 @ 11:13PM
Christopher said...
world's greatest director my ass .. More like " world's greatest hack" ... I'm sorry but if you are so "Great" you don;t go around remaking films and turing them into crap like "War of the Worlds" from 2005 ...1 of the "Worst films of 2005" I might add!!!
I guess Spielberg needs to pay the rent!
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8-03-2009 @ 12:04AM
SunKing said...
Like with so many modern remakes I see appearing these days, I have only one question to ask the director: "Why?"
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8-03-2009 @ 1:33AM
stephen said...
PLEASE if Spielberg has any heart left, NO Tom Hanks! Not only must the actor be mature so as to make the role more realistically funny, but must have the skill to convincingly engross you effortlessly, and Tom Hanks is a goofy non-talent that cannot even remotely do either to even satisfy those of yet-to- be school age!
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8-03-2009 @ 4:59AM
Judith said...
How about Alan Alda? I agree that it should be someone mature. Alda definitely has the comedic and acting background to pull this off.
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8-03-2009 @ 9:17AM
Matthew said...
Part of me even hates the idea, but I can imagine loads of humor if it was Colin Farrel in that role.
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8-03-2009 @ 12:04PM
David said...
Heck, why not Harrison Ford? He hasn't stretched in a long time, and maybe a dash of Alzheimer's wouldn't be out of place for this character.
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8-03-2009 @ 1:01PM
Jeremy said...
how about Tim Robbins or Willem Dafoe?
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8-03-2009 @ 2:24PM
S said...
Um, ok, I don't know if this flick is a good idea or not, but can I just ask everyone to take a moment, here, and think about something? TOM HANKS is NOT "this generation's Jimmy Stewart". NO ONE is, and no one can be. We move so quickly, especially when it comes to our entertainment, that we forget that cinema is a relatively young art, and that Stewart was a pioneer of film acting. There's just no comparison between Hanks, admittedly a decent actor at times, and Stewart, a groundbreaker who helped shape and define the art form itself. Remaking ANY Stewart film is extremely iffy, and I really don't think this one can be pulled off.
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