They're Remaking The Fugitive... And We Don't Care

Not just one, but we've now got two new versions of The Fugitive on the way.

Nov 27, 2019 November 27th, 2019

Picture Of Harrison Ford In The Fugitive Large Picture — Warner Bros.

With barely a week going by without news on another remake, reboot, reimaging, or recalibration, now comes word that a new take on The Fugitive is in development. And let’s be honest, who really cares?

Via Deadline, Warner Bros. has brought in The Book of Eli’s Albert Hughes to direct this new Fugitive, with Broken City’s Brian Tucker on writing duties for the do-over.

The Fugitive began life in 1963 as a TV series that ran for four seasons. Based around Richard Kimble, a doctor falsely accused of murdering his wife, the show saw Kimble on the run from the law as he desperately tries to find the real killer.

Skipping ahead to 1993, of course, and Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones headlined a big-screen Fugitive offering that nabbed seven Oscar nominations – including Jones taking home the Best supporting Actor gong at the 1994 edition of The Academy Awards. Then came an awful 2000 Fugitive TV series that was axed after just one solitary season.

So, iconic TV series? Check. Oscar-winning movie version? Double check. Which begs the question, why even bother with yet another version of The Fugitive.

To clarify, this new Fugitive movie isn’t to be confused with the new TV incarnation of the property that’s being developed for the Quibi streaming service. In that series, Kiefer Sutherland and Boyd Holbrook are starring in an adaptation that switches things up so that Holbrook is playing a character wrongly accused of setting off a bomb in Los Angeles.

Is there any need to hash out one, let alone two new versions of a property that began life over 50 years ago? No, no there isn’t. But, well, Hollywood…

Andrew Pollard

Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.

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