Ryan Reynolds likely to star, produce remake of action-comedy ‘Thunderbolt and Lightfoot’

WASHINGTON,DC: Actor Ryan Reynolds and Amazon MGM have teamed up to develop a remake of ‘Thunderbolt & Lightfoot’, a 1974 action comedy that starred Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges, reported The Hollywood Reporter.

According to the outlet, the actor is also being considered for a role in the adaptation and will produce alongside his team at his Maximum Effort production banner.

The actor is also collaborating on the script with writers Enzo Mileti and Scott Wilson, a writing team who worked on season four of the comedic crime show ‘Fargo.’

Shane Reid, who edited Reynolds’ Deadpool & Wolverine, will make his directorial debut with the project, reported The Hollywood Reporter.

‘Thunderbolt & Lightfoot’ starred Eastwood as a bank robber disguised as a preacher and on the run from his old gang, who erroneously believe he double-crossed them.

When he meets up with Lightfoot, a low-level street thief played by Bridges, the two came up with a plan to team with the old gang for a new bank job. Nothing goes as intended.

The movie was the directorial debut of Michael Cimino, who would later go on to win a Best Director Oscar for his 1978 Vietnam War drama ‘The Deer Hunter’.

Cimino also wrote the script for Thunderbolt & Lightfoot. Bridges earned an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor for his performance.

Scriptwriters Mileti and Wilson worked as the writer and consulting producers on FX’s drug crime show Snowfall and were staff writers on the Frank Grillo-starring MMA drama ‘The Kingdom’.

Meanwhile, actor Ryan Reynolds is set to return to the screen in a new avatar, this time as the villain in Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Eloise, based on the beloved 1950s children’s book series, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ actor will star alongside newcomer Mae Schenck, who plays the titular character.

The film marks Reynolds’ first acting project since the 2024 superhero blockbuster, and he is also serving as a producer on the upcoming family film.
According to Netflix, the movie will feature “a wholly original adventure based on the beloved children’s book series written by Kay Thompson and illustrated by Hilary Knight.”

The project will be directed by Amy Sherman-Palladino, best known for ‘Gilmore Girls’ and ‘The Marvellous Mrs Maisel’, who is also co-writing the script with Hannah Marks and Linda Woolverton, as per People. (ANI)