EXCLUSIVE: Steven Spielberg appears to have found his Frank Bullitt as sources tell Deadline Bradley Cooper has closed a deal to play the no-nonsense San Francisco cop in the new original Bullitt story centered on the classic character famously played by Steven McQueen in the 1968 thriller set at Warner Bros. Cooper will also produce the picture with Spielberg and his producing partner Kristie Macosko Krieger (marking their second collaboration after maestro), with Josh Singer on board to write the script. Steve McQueen’s son Chad and granddaughter Molly McQueen will produce the new film.
Sources are confident that this is not a remake of the original film, but a new idea centered on the character. In the original film, Frank Bullitt is a no-nonsense San Francisco cop on the hunt for the mob kingpin who killed his witness. Considered one of McQueen’s more iconic roles, the film delivers one of the most famous car chase scenes in cinema history. Sources also add that the film is still in development.
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While Cooper’s deal was only recently finalized, he and Spielberg have been talking about the character and what a new version of the story would look like going all the way back to the pandemic when everyone was stuck in quarantine and had nothing but time on their hands. Cooper and Spielberg have been trying to team up on something for years, dating back to when the legendary director came close to directing Cooper in American sniper (Spielberg eventually passed on and Clint Eastwood stepped in to direct the film). With MaestroSpielberg had been developing it for years and was close to directing himself, but after being blown away by Cooper’s A star is born, Spielberg felt that Cooper was better suited to not only star in the film but also direct the love story (Spielberg continues to produce the film along with Macosko Krieger, Martin Scorsese, Fred Berner and Amy Durning).
Cooper is currently in post-production on maestro, which he also wrote, directed, produced and starred in with Carey Mulligan. The film will be released by Netflix in 2023. With 9 Oscar nominations for both acting and production, Cooper is one of the few actor/directors who has been able to combine critical acclaim with box office success. Cooper is represented by Range Media Partners.
