Movies

David Koepp Will Write/Direct That ‘Quicksilver’ Remake You’ve Been Wanting

By  · Published on November 12th, 2009

That may not be technically accurate…

Per Variety, David Koepp will write and direct a new film called Premium Rush about a bike messenger with a valuable package who gets chased throughout New York City by a dirty cop. The film “is being conceived as a big-budget actioner, much like the films Koepp is known for penning, and will feature the kind of elaborate chases associated with a William Friedkin pic.”

Koepp is “known for penning” quite a few films, but his big actioner ones include Angels & Demons, Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, War of the Worlds, Spider-Man, and The Lost World: Jurassic Park. That’s an incredibly mixed bag quality-wise, so there’s no telling if the new film will be any good. Koepp has directed before, but all of those films (including the under-rated Ghost Town) have been much lower-budgeted affairs.

It’s obviously way too early in the process to seriously question Koepp’s intention here, but I have a few thoughts anyway. For one thing, can the bike messenger bit last the entire movie or is that just the character’s job description? I can see maybe one or two action scenes with him on a bike being chased through a construction site or maybe the Guggenheim Museum, but an entire film where no one can catch a bicyclist? Can you really have a big-budget action film with bicycle chases? And is this some kind of liberal, anti-oil propaganda piece where the hero is the guy with the least carbon emissions? Pedal now or paddle later! (Yes, I’m kidding.) But I was serious about the Quicksilver thing. Perhaps Kevin Bacon can play the dirty cop…

And finally, Premium Rush is the title you’re going with here? Really? Pair this with the recently announced Duncan Jones film Source Code and you’re halfway to programming an early-nineties action film festival.

What do you think? Can you picture a big budget chase film with the protagonist on a bicycle?

Rob Hunter has been writing for Film School Rejects since before you were born, which is weird seeing as he's so damn young. He's our Chief Film Critic and Associate Editor and lists 'Broadcast News' as his favorite film of all time. Feel free to say hi if you see him on Twitter @FakeRobHunter.