Ethan Hawke has his sights set on a classic Western remake. The First Reformed star is set to write and produce a remake of 1950’s The Gunfighter. Deadline reports that Hawke may also direct the film.
Hawke is set to pen the remake with writing partner Shelby Gaines, who also co-wrote the script for Hawke‘s most recent directorial effort, the Flannery O’Connor biopic Wildcat. Hawke is best known for his work in front of the camera, and can next be seen in the Richard Linklater musical biopic Blue Moon as lyricist Lorenz Hart, and in the sequel to his 2021 horror hit The Black Phone. However, he is quite proficient on the other side of the camera, as well. He made his feature directorial debut in 2001 with the ensemble drama Chelsea Walls, and has since directed The Hottest State (an adaptation of his own novel), the documentary Seymour: An Introduction, and the musical biopic Blaze. He also contributed to the scripts for Before Sunset and Before Midnight. Hawke has cited The Gunfighter as one of his favorite films, discussing it with Ben Mankewiez on Turner Classic Movies.
What Is ‘The Gunfighter’ About?
The Gunfighter stars Gregory Peck as Jimmy Ringo, a notorious gunfighter who rides into the town of Cayenne, looking to make peace with his estranged wife (Helen Westcott, God’s Little Acre) and meet the son he’s never known before retiring from gunfighting. However, she wants nothing to do with him, and he’s constantly pursued by assailants who want to duel him; they’re seeking either revenge for one of Ringo’s many victims, or seeking fame and fortune as the man who out-duelled Ringo. Sooner or later, Ringo has a date with destiny. It also stars Millard Mitchell (Singin’ in the Rain), Jean Parker (Little Women), Karl Malden (On the Waterfront), and Richard Jaeckel (Sometimes a Great Notion). It was directed by Henry King, who made six films with Peck including Twelve O’Clock High; it was an uncharacteristic role for Peck, and not just because he sported an unflattering but period-accurate mustache. The stolid Peck typically played respectable, Atticus Finch-types; the disreputable but still honorable, Jimmy Ringo was a notable departure for the star.
Jimmy Ringo in The Gunfighter was loosely based on real-life Wild West outlaw Johnny Ringo, an associate of Ike Clanton and his gang in Tombstone, Arizona. He made an enemy of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, and was found dead of a possibly self-inflicted gunshot wound in 1882. His life and death have been dramatized in a number of Westerns; most memorable may be 1993’s Tombstone, in which he is played by Michael Biehn and meets his end courtesy of Val Kilmer‘s Doc Holliday.
Ethan Hawke‘s remake of The Gunfighter is in early development at 20th Century Studios.
via Collider