It looks like Dr. Richard Kimble may be returning to the big screen — or at the very least, someone else who’s convicted of a terrible crime and goes on the run to prove his (or her) innocence.
According to Deadline, Warner Bros. Pictures is planning another feature film based on The Fugitive, the popular 1960s television series that was later turned into an even more popular 1993 movie starring Harrison Ford. It’s unclear whether the new film will be another adaptation of the original series or a sequel to Andrew Davis’ film, which earned seven Oscar nominations — including a nomination as the year’s best film.
The original series and the subsequent 1993 film chronicled the harrowing adventure of a brilliant surgeon accused of murdering his wife, only to escape incarceration and then try to clear his name while being doggedly pursued by a law-enforcement officer who won’t give up the hunt. In both projects, Kimble’s quest centers on uncovering the identity of a one-armed man who committed the murder.
The new film will be penned by Christina Hodson (The Eden Project, Shut In), with the original film’s producers, Arnold and Anne Kopelson, returning for the project. The report suggests that the studio is targeting a 2016 start for production on the film.
The 1993 big-screen adaptation of the series offered one of the rare occasions when a movie based on a popular television series managed to be a critical and commercial success, with Tommy Lee Jones taking home that year’s “Best Supporting Actor” Oscar for his role as Deputy U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard. The film spawned a 1998 spinoff movie, U.S. Marshals, with Jones reprising his role.
It’s unknown whether Ford or Jones will reprise their roles for the new film.
The Fugitive television series aired from 1963 to 1967 on ABC, and featured one of the most-watched finales of all time — with over half the country’s television-owning population tuning in for the epic conclusion to Kimble’s saga.
