Hollywood's elite turns down HARVEY, Spielberg exits

The day that Tom Hanks declared he didn't even want to read the script for a re-do of Harvey, was the day that Spielberg's odd nostalgia dream was mortally wounded. Spielberg,of course had some back-up choices. Will Smith for a little while, then he latched onto the idea of Robert Downey Jr and "courted him for months" according to Variety, even up to the point where Downey Jr was in a position to suggest script changes but at the end of the day, these guys aren't stupid, and they all eventually declined. Hanks, being the modern day equivalent of Jimmy Stewart, was Spielberg's best chance at making this work but even Hanks thought he couldn't do Stewart's most charming performance justice.

In Harvey, Jimmy Stewart gives his most likeable and touching performance as Elwood P. Dowd, a man who his best friends with a giant invisible rabbit. Spielberg has exited the film this week and will no longer be directing it. 20th Century Fox (co-financers with Dreamworks) are still developing the film without the director as they have cleared soundstages for filming to begin in early 2010 and they have a script they are keen on. Fox may continue to pursue Downey/Spielberg but most certainly they have begun sending the script out to the rest of Hollywood. I say Spielberg's "odd dream" above because I've still not quite figured out his reasoning's for a Harvey remake. I'm guessing though it might have went something like this... Spielberg was working on the planning for his long-gesturing Lincoln biopic, a daunting epic for any director, let alone someone with the high profile of Spielberg then 20th Century Fox head Tom Rothman - knowing what a huge Stewart fan Spielberg is, sends him a well written, and surprisingly quirky script for a modern day Harvey remake, written by Jonathan Tropper. Spielberg reads it and is instantly transported back to his childhood (same thing happened to Ridley Scott with Monopoly) and he quickly can't imagine anyone else making this movie, or anything else he would rather make next. The grass instantly feels greener, his job more fun. He thinks of Hanks as Harvey, how delightful!, and the project is commissioned. Stewart was Oscar nominated for the role but lost out to Jose Ferrer at the 1951 awards for his performance in the original Cyrano de Bergerac. Several months later (he came on board in August) and the project wasn't as fun as he first envisioned and he couldn't find an actor he wanted to make the movie with him, so he's moved on. To what.. who knows at this point but it's clear he wants to go with something early next year as he's itching to make a live action film after spending a few years on Tinti,n whose production he completed in March. For Harvey, well it's an amazing film, featuring a classic performance from James Stewart that almost demands it be left untouched but I have no doubt that there will be a director somewhere who won't be able to resist it. Mark my words.