SteveMcqueen Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Steve McQueen's widow might think that Daniel Craig would be the perfect actor to bring her husband back to life on the big screen, but it doesn't look like that's the direction Christine Peters and Michael Cerenzie are going with their adaptation of Steve McQueen: Portrait of an American Rebel. In fact, if rumors are true, they're looking for the man who was once rumored to be remaking McQueen's classic Bullitt -- Brad Pitt.

The Examiner says the actor is about to sign on to play McQueen in the biopic, which will kick into production later this year. They seem fairly happy with the news, stating: "The casting might work, Pitt resembles McQueen and shares the late actor's love of beautiful women, fast cars, and motorcycles." Me, I'm not so sure.

It all comes down to "the pretty." McQueen definitely had looks himself, but he was one of the men considered sexy for rugged strength and charisma, not for perfectly balanced, superstar features. He was the man you might dig in spite of yourself -- which is why McQueen's widow made a pretty good call with Craig. But Pitt ... is he too pretty? Too much of a looker and too little of the rugged machismo? While I've no doubt that he can handle the acting, could Mr. Jolie bring to life that "it" that made Steve McQueen so damn cool?

Today, Warner Home Video announced the titles that will be released in May through the studio's video on demand service, Warner Archives. Among these titles is the 1963 Steve McQueen film Soldier in the Rain, costarring Jackie Gleason, and most excitingly, the 1974 buddy comedy Freebie and the Bean.

Chances are if you aren't already shouting at the top of your lungs in excitement, you have no idea what Freebie and the Bean is. And yet, in retrospect it seems like the missing - and absolutely essential - link between the gritty potboilers of the 1970s, such as The French Connection, and the glib, profane thrillers of the '80s and '90s, in particular the early work of Shane Black. At the urging of a few well-informed buddies I went to see the film late last year at a revival theater in Los Angeles, not the least of which because it stars Alan Arkin as a Hispanic detective (i.e., The Bean), and James Caan as his determined-to-be-corrupted partner (Hence "Freebie"). And while it certainly doesn't have the palpable drama of Friedkin's film, or even the slick polish of the Lethal Weapon films (or even The Last Boy Scout, a movie with which it shares an unhealthy number of similarities), it's an amazing, explosive, almost self-destructive exercise in action, comedy, racism, and property damage, not necessarily in that order.

Cinematical has just received this exclusive poster for Hunger, the intense drama from prize-winning British artist turned director Steve McQueen. Michael Fassbender stars as Bobby Sands, a controversial IRA member who was imprisoned in the infamous H-block of Belfast's Maze Prison. Sands made headlines worldwide in 1981 when he refused to eat until the British government acknowledged the IRA as a legitimate political organization. I can remember following the story day by day as it happened, so I'm quite interested in seeing Hunger, though it doesn't sound like an easy viewing experience.

The reviews have been very positive. When the film debuted at Cannes last year, Kim Voynar wrote: "It's a cinema verite approach to viewing human dignity in the face of unimaginable indignities, a grim statement about what happens when differences of opinion in social and political matters lead men to treat other men with horrific cruelty. ... It's a brilliant portrayal of a tragic moment in human history."

Hunger arrives in theaters on March 20. Click on the image below to view the poster in full, unflinching detail.

Forget the cinematic adventures of Steve McQueen as a husband and friend. While a former McQueen wife might have sold the rights to her book back in 2007, nothing seems to have come of it. A year and a half later, it's time for a different approach, one that focuses on the McQueen we all know and love -- Hollywood star and rebel.

Variety reports that producers Christine Peters and Michael Cerenzie have nabbed the rights to Marshall Terrill's biography Steve McQueen: Portrait of an American Rebel. (See? Doesn't that sound better already?) The book will be whipped up into a feature that covers the actor's Hollywood career, which started in 1956, his "penchant for motorcycles, fast cards, and drugs, his relationship with Ali McGraw, and go right through his battle with lung cancer." Right now, there's no writer or director attached, but Peters and Cerenzie say that they're about to get the latter set.

Once that's done and the script is ready, it'll be casting time once again. Will Daniel Craig young himself up and grab the role? You might remember that before the ex was selling her memories, McQueen's widow was musing over 007 playing Steve -- and she's agreed to cooperate with this film, so I'd bet they'll at least consider him. But if not Craig ... Who?

Can everyone guess where I am right now, and what I'm doing? I'm very thankful that the New Orleans airport has free wireless available while I wait for an airplane crew to show up for my flight, so I can return to sunny Austin. In the meantime, I have a laptop and Internet access and a stack of DVDs to watch. I am prepared. I can watch movies indefinitely if necessary, especially if I can get Hulu or Netflix's Watch Instantly cranked up.

I have a few suggestions for packing / purchasing / (legally) downloading movies to watch on your laptop or other device in an airport or on a plane. Pick at least one or two movies that are old familiar favorites. Sometimes when you're stuck in a terminal with poor food choices, a "comfort movie" can be your very best friend. In addition, I find it difficult to listen clearly to movies on an airplane or even in a noisy terminal (you don't want the sound too loud, so you can hear updates on your flight's delay), so it's best to pick something where you already know what's going on and don't need to catch every last nuance of dialogue. Big goofy action films and physical comedies have an advantage over talkier films where you have to pay attention.

In compiling this list of specific recommendations, I tried to avoid the overwhelmingly obvious choices for watching movies in airports -- personally, I don't want to watch disaster films at times like this, or even spoofs of disaster films like that timeless comedy Airplane. The Terminal and Snakes on a Plane also a little too close for comfort. I thought instead of lighter fare, with scenes that emphasized the fantasy world of airline travel, good or bad, and the magic of escapism. Next time, I'm tucking a few of these in my laptop bag myself.

They have no actors, screenwriter, or director attached, but a group of producers has already figured out the budget for their planned remake of a 1973 prison drama: $90 million. The original film, Papillon, starred Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman as criminals trying to escape from Devil's Island, a French penal colony located in South America.

According to Variety, Spanish production company Atlantia Canarias recently closed a deal for the rights to the autobiography of Henri Charriere, whose best-selling book served as the basis for Papillon. The company has teamed up with veteran Los Angeles-based producers Branko Lustig (Gladiator, American Gangster) and John J. Kelly (Into the Wild, The Black Dahlia). Most of the financing has already been arranged through a Canary Islands tax investment vehicle, whereby taxpayers "earmark part of their payments for film and TV investment."

It's been several years since I've seen Papillon, but it felt very low-key and, frankly, drab and unexciting. Writing in 1973, Roger Ebert wasn't very impressed: "You know something has gone wrong when you want the hero to escape simply so that the movie can be over." The original film had an estimated budget of $12 million. Considering the remake's budget, I imagine the producers have set aside a good portion of that for two big male stars, and probably a star director.

Does this remake stir any interest? Who could put on the prison clothes worn by Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman?

IFC Films has acquired yet another hot Cannes title. British director Steve McQueen's Hunger has impressed a number of critics, including our own Kim Voynar, who called it "a brilliant portrayal of a tragic moment in human history." The short article on the acquisition by Anne Thompson in Variety does not reveal what distribution plans IFC may have in mind.

Michael Fassbender portrays Bobby Sands, an IRA volunteer who led a long hunger strike in 1981 while he was imprisoned on gun charges by British authorities. (More information is available at Wikipedia or the search engine of your choice.) The case stirred up a considerable amount of controversy; I remember visiting New York City at the time and being besieged by daily headlines in the Post and Daily News screaming about one side or the other.

Kim notes that the film doesn't "address the circumstances that led to these men being incarcerated" but commented in response to a reader: "I don't believe we achieve greater humanity by sinking to crass brutality in our treatment of others, regardless of how they might have wronged us ... Nonetheless, I tried to keep the focus of my review on its artistic merits, and in that respect, it's a brilliant film." I hope IFC makes Hunger as widely available as possible -- it sounds like an incredibly timely subject.

Back in June, I wrote about a request made by Barbara McQueen Brunsvold, the widow of Steve McQueen. She had stated that if there's ever to be a biopic about her late husband, then Daniel Craig should be cast in the lead role. At the time, I figured Craig was a good enough fit, but I also thought such a film was unnecessary and would probably not be produced.

As it turns out, there is now a movie about McQueen in the works. But it comes from another one of the actor's wives, his first. According to a story on Variety, Neile McQueen Toffel, who was married to McQueen from 1956 to 1972 (when she was known as actress Neile Adams), just sold the rights to her book My Husband, My Friend to producer Kevin Kasha, who is a senior VP at New Line Home Entertainment. Despite the division in which Kasha works, it hasn't been revealed whether or not the McQueen film will be a direct-to-video release.

At nearly 40 years of age, Daniel Craig may be too old to play the McQueen of the 50s and 60s. He does look damn good for his age, though, so hopefully Kasha will take him into consideration. Of course, somebody could still pick up the rights to Brunsvold's book, Steve McQueen: The Last Mile, which mostly consists of photographs, and we can have dueling biopics, a la Capote vs. Infamous. Either way, Craig needs to be thought of. However, if the 007 actor can't play McQueen, perhaps he could one day star in a remake of one of McQueen's movies -- seems they'll all get redone sooner or later.

So far, of McQueen's pics, there's been new versions of The Thomas Crown Affair, The Blob and The Getaway and there's confirmed or rumored plans to redo The Topkapi Affair, Bullitt and The Blob again. McQueen is far from forgotten or obsolete, though. Currently there's a heist film in development called Yucatan, which is based on notes and storyboards by the actor. Also, someone paid $2.3 million for his 1963 Ferrari last week.

The latest Brad Pitt casting rumor is definitely not up there with the recent He-Man nonsense, but unlikely as it may be, at least this one seems more plausible. Monsters and Critics is reporting that Pitt will star in a remake of the Steve McQueen classic Bullitt. According to the sources, "Brad shares a lot of the same passions as Steve Mc Queen -- including a love of motorbikes and fast cars -- so it was a dream role for him." When the film premiered in 1968, it solidified McQueen's reputation as the ultimate "man's man," and the famous car chase is still arguably one of the best ever seen on film. It was reported by this incredibly shaky source that Pitt had been interested in the project since 2003, but this is the first that anyone has heard about a remake in a long time. Supposedly, the looming threat of a SAG strike has spurred executives into action, and they have green-lit the production. Uh-huh.

Let's point out one more time that this is a wild rumor, so even if it is true, I doubt we are going to see Pitt tooling around in a *Dodge Charger any time soon. Pitt currently has six projects in various stages of development and first up will be the long-awaited Western The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford. He is also set to reunite will fellow Ocean's Thirteen star, George Clooney in the Coen Brothers' CIA flick Burn After Reading. Even if Pitt's schedule is booked solid, if there is a Bullitt remake that's going to happen, they could always give Daniel Craig a call.

*Correction: McQueen drove the Mustang GT 390 Fastback, it was the villains in the Charger.

I'm not sure how much we need a biopic about Steve McQueen, who was arguably the coolest movie star ever, but that isn't stopping the actor's widow from suggesting the person to play him. Barbara McQueen Brunsvold, who was McQueen's third wife and who was only married to him for less than a year before he died, wants Daniel Craig to portray the Bullitt star if there's ever a movie about him. She recently co-authored a book of photographs of her and McQueen's three-and-a-half years together, titled Steve McQueen: The Last Mile. Whether she hopes to sell the rights to her story is unclear. McQueen, who died of cancer in 1980 (well, technically of two heart attacks following surgery), has been the subject of many books, including one by his first wife, actress Neile Adams, called My Husband, My Friend: A Memoir, and one by actress Barbara Leigh called The King, McQueen and the Love Machine: My Secret Life with Elvis Presley, Steve McQueen and the Smiling Cobra, either of which is probably more detailed about the time periods in which Craig would most suitably appear.

Though Craig doesn't look too much like McQueen, I have to agree that he may be the closest thing possible; plus, he's almost as cool. Brunsvold states that Craig, "kinda has that swagger, the good looks -- if I wasn't married I'd date him." The only other actor who might be be able to pull it off is Colin Farrell, who supposedly idolizes McQueen and credits him as his greatest influence. Anyway, because this isn't a real project just yet, there isn't much point in giving the suggestions much thought. But here's an uninteresting and useless bit of trivia, at least: McQueen starred in the original version of The Thomas Crown Affair, which was remade with Pierce Brosnan in the lead. Brosnan and Craig have both played James Bond.

[via Fark.com]