Fantasy Casting: The Maltese Falcon
Psycho. All the King’s Men. Cape Fear.
These are just a few of the classic films that have been remade within the last 20 years. Some remakes turn out well, but most are awful. Often, we just wind up wishing that we had watched the original.
But, that doesn’t keep us from speculating on how a film could be successfully remade and updated for modern audiences. One of my favorite films to fantasize about is John Huston’s The Maltese Falcon. Based on the Dashiell Hammett novel, this film features great dialogue, a complex story, and fascinating characters. Done right, it could be a fun and suspenseful remake that moviegoers today could enjoy.
Here’s how I would do it:
Director: John Dahl
Writer: William Monahan
Starring:
Sam Spade- Josh Brolin
Brigid O’Shaughnessy- Marion Cotillard
Joel Cairo- Mathieu Amalric
Kasper Gutman- Brendan Gleeson
Wilmer Cook- Ben Foster
Effie Perine- Patricia Clarkson
Iva Archer- Amy Ryan
Miles Archer- John Hawkes
Detective Dundy- Laurence Fishburne
Detective Polhaus- John C. Reilly
Wow, that’s one star-studded cast. And John Dahl is such a bold choice. Please do comment on it!
Great choices. I especially like the pictures used.
Where’s your fantasy casting for the Who Framed Roger Rabbit remake featuring contemporary cartoon/animation characters?