I sort of worship at the altar of director Steven Spielberg. In 1975's "Jaws" the man introduced the world to the blockbuster, and with it hundreds of spectacle-filled summer weekends to come. He slips in and out of genres like seasonal outfits, wearing a thriller one year, a touching family drama another, a sci-fi end-of-world scenario in yet another. And next up? A taste of magical realism.
Mike Fleming reports for Variety that Spielberg's next directing gig will be a remake of the 1950 movie "Harvey," which is itself an adaptation of a Puliter Prize-winning 1944 play. It is the story of Elwood P. Dowd, an odd dude whose best friend is Harvey, a six foot tall, invisible rabbit. And since Elwood insists on introducing his furry pal to everyone, people tend to think he's... well... not so right in the head.
The project will be a co-production between Spielberg's DreamWorks studio and 20th Century Fox, with a script written by bestselling author Jonathan Tropper. Spielberg, who has plenty of projects to choose from -- just last week, word emerged that he was interested in taking on "Matt Helm" -- is keen on hopping back into the director's chair quickly, after last year's "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."
"Harvey" offers him an opportunity to do so; casting and pre-production work are already underway, clearing a path to an early 2010 start to production. A late 2010 release might be a stretch, though this project certainly won't demand the extensive post-production of the director's previous effects-driven blockbusters like "Crystal Skull," "War of the Worlds" and "Minority Report."
The real question I have is where a movie like "Harvey" might fit best: the steamy days of summer, when audiences are looking for indoor, air-cooled relief or the cold and rainy fall months, when Oscar contenders draw the crowds out with their big name actors and weighty ideas. It's been more than a decade since Spielberg won his Oscar statue for "Saving Private Ryan." Perhaps it's time for him to go for another.
The question is, who is our modern-day Jimmy Stewart? The lovable actor played Elwood in the 1950 version of "Harvey" and finding someone to fill his shoes for a presumably modern take on the story will be this production's real challenge. Longtime Spielberg pal Tom Hanks is the obvious answer. The man who gave us the character Forrest Gump is Hollywood's go-to nice guy; he even pops up in "The Simpsons Movie," telling the world in a PSA that the giant new crater in the earth where a town used to be is okay, nothing to worry about.
Personally, I'd like to see Spielberg turn to someone different for a change. Specifically, George Clooney. He's proven himself as a talented, multi-faceted actor time and again, from the thinking person's action of "Three Kings" to the down-home fantasy of "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" to the calm, collected cool of Rat Pack-inspired Las Vegas heists in the "Ocean's" movies.
Where Hanks is a "safe" bet for Spielberg's Stewart stand-in, I feel like Clooney could really re-invent the role. He plays the eccentric very well, and the inescapable aura of "cool" that he exudes could be just the thing to keep "Harvey" relevant for modern audiences. We'll find out soon one way or another, what with "Harvey" on a fast-track to getting made.
Who would you pick to play the Jimmy Stewart role? Hanks? Clooney? Someone else? Where should the release of Spielberg's "Harvey" fit into the calendar year?
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