Preview:
- Ryan Reynolds is developing a remake of 1974’s ‘Thunderbolt & Lightfoot.’
- The original starred Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges.
- Amazon MGM is backing the project.
Though he usually generates his own material, Ryan Reynolds has history taking other source material and spinning it into cinematic success.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, he now has his eye on 1974 action comedy ‘Thunderbolt & Lightfoot,’ with the aim to develop it as a buddy comedy he can star in.
10297In addition to taking a lead role, Reynolds would produce and is at work on a new script, writing alongside Enzo Mileti and Scott Wilson, whose joint screenwriting resume includes season 4 of ‘Fargo.’
And on the directing front, editor Shane Reid (who was one of two editors on ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’) is stepping up to make his shot-calling debut.
Related Article: Ryan Reynolds is Exploring the Idea of a Deadpool/X-Men Team-Up Movie
What’s the story of ‘Thunderbolt & Lightfoot’?
The original 1974 ‘Thunderbolt & Lightfoot’ starred Clint Eastwood as a bank robber disguised as a preacher and on the run from his old gang, who erroneously believe he double-crossed them.
When he meets up with Lightfoot, a low-level street thief played by Jeff Bridges, the two come up with a plan to team with the old gang for a new bank job. Nothing goes as intended.
The movie was the directorial debut of Michael Cimino, who would later go on to win a best directing Oscar for his 1978 Vietnam War drama ‘The Deer Hunter.’ Cimino also wrote the script for ‘Thunderbollt.’ Bridges earned an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor for his performance.
And stop us if we’re wrong, but we’re thinking… could this be the movie that reunites Reynolds with his pal and ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ co-star Hugh Jackman? Actually, don’t stop us. We like the idea too much.
What else is Ryan Reynolds up to?
Despite saying he’s taking a break after all the effort he poured into the last Deadpool movie, Reynolds has seemingly been as busy as ever, just more behind the scenes. That is when he’s not appearing in Mint Mobile commercials every other TV ad break.
Just this week, he signed on to star as the villain in Netflix’s live-action adaptation of ‘Eloise,’ based on the children’s book series written by Kay Thompson and illustrated by Hilary Knight, which he and his Maximum Effort colleagues are producing. He is also a producer on ‘John Candy: I Like Me,’ the documentary on the late great comedic actor that premiered at this year’s Toronto Film Festival and is now streaming on Amazon.
Besides those, there are his rumored plans for a Deadpool/X-Men crossover and various other potential movies.
When might the new ‘Thunderbolt & Lightfoot’ be on screens?
With the movie still in a relatively early development phase, Amazon MGM has yet to commit to an actual release date. But it sounds like there is some positive forward movement.
Selected Movies Starring Ryan Reynolds
- ‘National Lampoon’s Van Wilder’ (2002)
- ‘Just Friends’ (2005)
- ‘The Proposal’ (2009)
- ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine‘ (2009)
- ‘Buried‘ (2010)
- ‘The Change-Up’ (2011)
- ‘Deadpool‘ (2016)
- ‘The Hitman’s Bodyguard’ (2017)
- ‘Deadpool 2‘ (2018)
- ‘Free Guy‘ (2021)
- ‘Red Notice‘ (2021)
- ‘The Adam Project‘ (2022)
- ‘Spirited‘ (2022)
