Another Harrison Ford Classic is Getting a Sequel (Or Remake?)

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Maybe it’s a stretch to call The Fugitive a “classic,” but at 22 years old and featuring some iconic moments, it’s one of the most memorable Harrison Ford movies after Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Blade Runner. It’s also his highest-grossing movie that isn’t an installment of those first two franchises (well, adjusted for inflation, it’s also below American Graffiti). And it’s his last movie to have a Rotten Tomatoes score above 90% – excluding re-release special editions and documentaries. The Fugitive was even nominated for Best Picture.

So, while Ford is seeming to return to all his other classics (so far only Star Wars and Blade Runner but maybe Indy, too), it’s possible that he could also make a return as Dr. Richard Kimble. Deadline is reporting that there’s a new film installment of The Fugitive in the works from returning producer Arnold Kopelson and wife Anne Kopelson, who joined him for the movie’s first, Ford-free sequel, U.S. Marshals, as well as for the unsuccessful 2000 reboot of the TV series version starring Tim Daly.

It’s very possible that another sequel would again focus on Tommy Lee Jones’s character, U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard. After all, Kimble’s story in the first movie, adapted from the 1960s TV drama of the same name, is perfectly concluded. But with Ford such a hot commodity these days, maybe they can have Kimble and Gerard forced to reunite and hunt another fugitive together? Maybe Hollywood would prefer to throw in a young actor to balance out one of the old fogies, but think about this: two ancient action heroes is like two Liam Neesons!

Whatever the focus and plot and whoever the lead will be (for all we know at this point maybe it’s a reboot, as was announced six years back), Warner Bros. is on board with the Kopelsons and has tasked as-yet-unproven screenwriter Christina Hodson (her upcoming projects include Shut In with Naomi Watts and Unforgettable with Kate Hudson and Kerry Washington). Here’s another suggestion: instead of a train crash that Ford jumps from this time, reference pop culture and make it a plane crash. We know at leas the actor can survive those.

Related Topics: Harrison Ford

Christopher Campbell began writing film criticism and covering film festivals for a zine called Read, back when a zine could actually get you Sundance press credentials. He's now a Senior Editor at FSR and the founding editor of our sister site Nonfics. He also regularly contributes to Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes and is the President of the Critics Choice Association's Documentary Branch.