‘The Fugitive’ Is Going Back on the Run, But Will Harrison Ford Return?

It should come as no surprise that Warner Bros. is planning to resurrect The Fugitive in some capacity. After all, a major film studio returning to the well of the comfortably familiar for a remake or a reboot (or a reboot of a remake) is pretty par for the course these days. What makes this news ever-so-slightly interesting is the suggestion that this may be a continuation of some kind, featuring the same characters that Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones played in the iconic 1993 film.

The news comes to us from Deadline and the details are few. They do report that Christina Hodson is penning the script and that original producers Arnold and Anne Kopelson are back on board. However, the fact that no one involved will comment on whether or not this is a straight-up remake makes us wonder if this could be a follow-up to the original film. Sure, Harrison Ford is a senior citizen and Tommy Lee Jones looks like a walking pile of hard life choices, but if they can still run around, through, up and down various urban locations then they are perfectly capable of starring in The Fugitive 2: How Did This Happen to Me Twice.

The Fugitive, which was based on the massively popular popular ‘60s series of the same name, followed Harrison Ford’s Richard Kimble, who went on the run after being convicted of a murder he didn’t commit. Tommy Lee Jones won an Oscar for playing the determined U.S. Marshal on his tail. Jones reprised the role in U.S. Marshals, a film that no one remembers or talks about. The original film wrapped up the plot in a tidy little bow, so if this new version is going to share a timeline with the original, it’s going to need a damn good reason for Jones to start chasing Ford again.

Since Ford is reprising two of his most iconic roles in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Blade Runner 2, it wouldn’t surprise us to see him sign up for The Fugitive: Again! Still, the thought of watching two grandfathers pursue each other doesn’t sound like the most exciting cinema in the world (and these two probably have more exciting projects on their plates). We’re probably looking at a fairly typical remake situation. However, if a new version finds the right actors and puts the right spin on the material, we could be down for another epic manhunt thriller. Let Michael Shannon chase Ryan Gosling or something. And set it in a new city. And hire a downright weird director. You’re going to exist in the shadow of a classic, so you might as well take a left turn.