Got this comment from Anthony Powers on The Wild Bunch remake
being Written and Directed by Mel Gibson after I had expressed
skepticism on the project: “You have to have an open mind. Mel Gibson is the perfect director to compliment Sam Peckinpah . All of gibson’s movies have been done well and I believe he will make this classic western even more classic. Go Mel !!!!!!”
Thanks for your comment Anthony.
Well maybe so? What do I know?
I still express skepticism.
The original The Wild Bunch is regarded by many to be one of the greatest Western Classics.
Directed by (Bloody) Sam Pekinpah, the Cast alone is Epic: William Holden, Robert Ryan, Ernest Borgnine, Warren Oates, Ben Johnson, L Q Jones, Strother Martin and more.
The Big Problem:
No matter how good Mel’s remake might be, it’s ALWAYS going to be compared to the original. No?
I won’t say he might not come out with something good? But just like the recent remake of The Magnificent Seven (2016)
it’s going to be hard to measure up.
I hope for the best and I’m always happy to see anybody making a Western . Especially somebody with the stature and probable production values
of Mel Gibson. BUT … it’s going to be a challenge.
Mel himself is quoted as saying: “I thought it was a bad idea at first,” Gibson recently admitted. “Why make The Wild Bunch again? Who would do that? I thought about it and I thought about it some more, and then I thought of a way [into the story]. A way to tell the story. So, I’ve been sitting in a room with a writer and it’s been a blast. So, it started as a bad idea, but it’s heading toward something that could be special.” http://gothicwestern.com/site/mel-gibsons-the-wild-bunch-remake-for-2022/
La Golondrina / Soundtrack The Wild Bunch / Jerry Fielding
“Hmmmm …”
The big talk in Western Film these days is the News about the ‘Remake of The Wild Bunch’. (I’m a bit slow on the draw so I just herd about this recently)
It’s a shocker to be sure.
Here’s one Newsbit:
‘The Wild Bunch’ Remake Hoping to Recruit Michael Fassbender, Jamie Foxx, Peter Dinklage for Director Mel Gibson
Posted on Monday, May 20th, 2019 by Chris Evangelista
Proving that there are indeed second, third, and even forth acts in Hollywood, Mel Gibson is being given the keys to a major motion picture yet again. The controversial actor and filmmaker is set to helm a remake of The Wild Bunch, and some heavy-hitting talent is already lining-up to work with him. Michael Fassbender, Jamie Foxx, and Peter Dinklage are all in talks to join the Wild Bunchremake cast, indicating that Warner Bros. wants to put together an impressive cast for this contemporary remake of the violent Sam Peckinpah Western.
Mel Gibson can often be an excellent actor and a strong filmmaker. But he’s also a highly controversial figure known for misogynist, racist remarks and actions that many feel should disqualify him from being attached to major projects. Gibson was a bit of a pariah for a short period of time, but it’s clear that time has ended. Warner Bros. has booked him to direct their Wild Bunch remake, which features a script by Gibson and Bryan Bagby.
And now, Deadline says Michael Fassbender, Jamie Foxx, and Peter Dinklage are all in talks to join the cast of the film. Nothing is officially in place yet, but word has it the movie will begin production this fall. This Wild Bunch is a contemporary remake of Sam Peckinpah’s classic 1969 Western, which was set in 1913. Here’s the original synopsis:
In this gritty Western classic, aging outlaw Pike Bishop prepares to retire after one final robbery. Joined by his gang, which includes Dutch Engstrom and brothers Lyle and Tector Gorch, Bishop discovers the heist is a setup orchestrated in part by his old partner, Deke Thornton. As the remaining gang takes refuge in Mexican territory, Thornton trails them, resulting in fierce gunfights with plenty of casualties.
Hollywood has been hoping to mount a Wild Bunch remake for a few years now. Tony Scott was originally set to helm a version, but his 2012 suicide ended up putting the project on hold. Since then, a remake with Will Smith possibly set to produce and star popped up, along with one directed by Hands of Stone filmmaker Jonathan Jakubowicz. Neither incarnation came to pass.
While Gibson, a filmmaker who doesn’t shy away from movie violence, seems like a good fit to remake this violent Western, I can’t help but feel this is a film we really don’t need, no matter who ends up being cast in the project.
Mel sure knows how to kick up some dust. I can’t see this project as a mere Western yarn – and it’s pretty obvious by the casting that this is not going to be a carbon copy of the original.The inclusion of Dinklage and Fox certainly tells us it’s to be pretty different right away – and Gibson has said it will be a different angle from a Social/Political viewpoint. There’s plenty of scepticism, of course, and it does seem like a daunting task. We’ll just have to wait and see.
All the Major players in the original production have passed.
Including Sam himself.
April 17, 1918 – November 12, 1981January 24, 1917 – July 8, 2012July 5, 1928 – April 3, 1982June 13, 1918 – April 8, 1996November 11, 1909 – July 11, 1973
Meet the New ‘Bunch’
This whole thing is riding on Mel. Here’s hoping.
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5 responses to “The Wild Bunch remake going ahead …”
Despite his well covered off screen adventures, I’ve liked some of his work: ‘The Patriot’, ‘We Were Soldiers’, ‘Edge of Darkness’, ‘Braveheart’, ‘Maverick’, ‘The Bounty’, ‘Gallipoli’, ‘The Man without a Face’, ‘Apocalypto’ … and a few others. Yeah, he’s done some crap too, but not a bad resume’ really. He just might be smart enough to pull this off Don???
I doubt it could surpass the original. Just look art West Side Story. It just wasn’t necessary. However, I suppose if the story draws a new generation…
West Side Story. I didn’t see it. I’m not a Spielberg fan. To some people that would be a sacrilegious statement. But there’s a good portion of his stuff that I truly dislike and disrespect. Much is not really very deep and plainly manipulative. I admire that he appreciates West Side Story, yet I would surely not be surprised if he didn’t get it right.
The Wild Bunch? Yeah. Mixed feelings there too. Sam said he was dismayed that many people enjoyed gore, blood shed and violence. Said this is not what he intended. He said he wanted people to be revolted by violence – not enjoy it. He knew that killing somebody is not a small thing – and shouldn’t be – yet it was treated in a very superficial way in many movies. (He probably wouldn’t give John Wick a big endorsement). You know what I’m saying. We just love violence it seems. I just previewed a bunch of upcoming movies. Ultra Violent. I do watch some of that myself, but most are very shallow, and despite the brilliance of the Filmmaking I often have a hollow feeling afterwards and 2 days later I can’t recall even one scene from the movie?
YET – in all, there is still some great Art out there. Even a few things that I feel Added something to me.
Hope for you also.
Some suns never set.
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