Most actor can play the same character forever. No matter how popular that role may be, age or even lack-of-continuing-interest, will eventually force an actor to retire from a part that they are closely associated with and that leaves the studio with a quandary – Continue the franchise with a new actor or retire the series gracefully. And while the James Bond franchise has successfully gone the route of recasting its lead to much success over five decades now, most other film series choose to just call it a day.
A rumor is starting to circulate, courtesy of the rumor mongers at Latino Review, that studio execs are thinking that if Harrison Ford doesn’t put his fedora back on for one more outing as Indiana Jones in the near future that the studio would consider recasting the role with a younger actor who could conceivably stay with the part for a number of years. Also being whispered is that at the top of the studio’s wish list for actors to step in is Bradley Cooper.
Let us make clear that right now this is all rumor and perhaps even more than a bit of speculation.
Even though this is Latino Review doing the initial “reportage,” I will admit that there is possibly some truth here, even accidentally. That studio execs would be looking to keep the Indiana Jones franchise going is a no-brainer. The evolving economic model for Hollywood has been a bigger reliance on tentpole features to bring in the big bucks and the franchise is certainly one of the granddaddies at doing that. But it is certainly obvious that Ford is getting up in years and even if his spirit is willing there will come a time when the flesh will be too weak for the job. And Cooper seems like a good choice if you’re looking for someone who might take over the role and not just because he can grow some stubble.
And I do have to give some points to Latino Review for remembering that the Indiana Jones franchise grew out of some discussions that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg had about wanting to create an adventure hero in a similar vein to James Bond.
But there is one thing that sticks out to me in Latino Review’s story like a sore thumb. It is that they state that one of their sources for this is the same person who tipped them that Cooper was going to be voicing Rocket Raccoon in the upcoming Guardians Of The Galaxy film from Disney’s Marvel Studios. This suggests to me that this source is either in Cooper’s camp or someone at the studio who wants to see Cooper in more of their films. If Disney/Lucasfilm is indeed considering recasting, it could be that this source is passing it along with the addition of Cooper being on the wish list as a way of lobbying to get the actor on to said list. Or perhaps no one at Disney is considering this but someone in Cooper’s camp came up with the idea and wanted it out there to test the waters and perhaps goad Disney execs to consider it.
We’ll be watching to see what, if anything, comes from this.
spent 18 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, 13 of those at the number 1 position. Bradley Cooper has been developing this as a producer is set to star.
In a multi-part series, Comic Book Film Editor William Gatevackes will be tracing the history of comic book movies from the earliest days of the film serials to today’s big blockbusters and beyond. Along with the history lesson, Bill will be covering some of the most prominent comic book films over the years and why they were so special. This time, we’ll look at the tragic comic book film that adapted a tragic comic book—The Crow.
A remake of the first Crow film has been in the works since 2007, with Stephen Norrington originally attached to direct, later to be replaced by 28 Weeks Later’s Juan Carlos Fresnadillo. Bradley Cooper was rumored to be in talks for the lead, but the project appears to be headed towards legal wrangling between current production company holders Relativity and distributors The Weinstein Group over who has the rights to distribute the movie. Tying the remake up in legal red tape might be the best thing to happen to it.
Bradley Cooper is in talks to join director David O Russell’s American Bullshit. (No, it is not another sequel in the American Pie franchise.) He’ll be appearing opposite Christian Bale should the film make it into production. This will mark the second time that each actor has worked with Russell. Bale starred in last year’s The Fighter while Cooper will be seen in Russell’s upcoming The Silver Linings Playbook.
