Steven Spielberg’s Next Film Is Based On An Iconic Movie Character

Steven Spielberg is basing his next film on a classic movie character and this could be a very different look for the director.

By Dan Lawrence | Updated

steven spielberg

Steven Spielberg is an evergreen titan of cinema. He’s currently gearing up for another run at the Oscars, this time with his reimagining of classic musical West Side Story. Not only that, he is full steam ahead with his next directorial project The Fablemans. In addition to this heavy workload, a report from Deadline states that the legendary filmmaker is attached to direct a feature focussed on the iconic Steve McQueen character Frank Bullitt. 

The 1968 thriller Bullitt, stars the aforementioned Steve McQueen as Frank Bullitt, a cop in San Francisco on the hunt for the mob boss that killed a witness. The film is probably best known for its iconic car chase, featuring the even more iconic Ford Mustang. Sources state that the film in which Spielberg will helm is not a remake, but seemingly another story centring on the Frank Bullitt character. The film is coming courtesy of Warner Bros, and Spielberg is also serving as a producer on the project, that will be written by Josh Singer. Kristie Macosko Krieger will be sharing producing duties with Spielberg. The project does have further lineage to the Steve McQueen film that serves as its inspiration. McQueen’s son, Chad and granddaughter Molly McQueen are on board as executive producers. No pressure for Steven Spielberg on this project then.

A variety of sources claim that this is a project that Steven Speilberg has been chasing for some time. However, due to length negotiations between Spielberg and the McQueen estate, Collider reports that there were fears from Spielberg that the project would never see the light of day. That is of course no longer the case, but there is no script as of yet so it may be a long wait until this Bullitt project hits theatres. 

For now, though, Steven Spielberg’s attention will be firmly on the Oscars. His feature West Side Story is in the running for a mighty seven awards. One of the categories is of course Best Director, an award he has won twice previous for Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan. As well as focussing on more Oscar glory, Spielberg is in the post-production stage of The Fabelmens, a semi-biographical piece that is based on Speilberg’s upbringing. The film stars Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Paul Dano Gabriel LaBelle and even David Lynch. 

Where this Bullitt-inspired film sits in Steven Spielberg’s upcoming slate of Directorial features is unknown at this time. However, it is sure to be another crowd-pleaser that fans have come to expect of Spielberg’s work. Frank Bullitt is just the latest in a long line of iconic characters to join the Spielberg staple. From Jaws to Indiana Jones and E.T. to Saving Private Ryan, could this latest offering be another Steven Spielberg great? All the ingredients are seemingly in place, but without a release date as of yet, fans will have to wait at least a year before they can see what the iconic filmmaker produces. For now, though, The Fabelmens will hit theatres on November 23, 2022.