New actor debate for a Dirty Harry reboot: Alec Baldwin

[bdc28]

Before your CE reflexes jump for my throat...I know you wanna.....

Think about it.

[AKA23]

I've thought about it. I don't like Alec Baldwin as an actor, so I wouldn't support the choice. I don't personally see the need for a "Dirty Harry reboot," but even if I did, he wouldn't be an actor I'd choose for that part.

[bdc28]

I would never, EVER EVER want Harry rebooted. The fact of the matter is this generation has absolutely no imagination in movie making...and the odds are it likely WILL be rebooted.

They rebooted RED DAWN for Christs sake!!!!!

The question has always been could someone have enough "presence" to play Harry Callahan. I named off a few folks at one time...Samuel Jackson, Michael Madsen (before he became a hot mess)....I even thought the MAYHEM guy would be a good match (only for his physical resemblance and verbal resemblance to Callahan).

[rr-electricangel]

I love Alec Balwin as a comedy actor but not as a dramatic actor. He did so many skits on SNL. (My memory still remembers him doing Schweddy Balls for public radio). 30 Rock is still in the same vein and usually once you have established yourself as more of a comedic artistic the audience prefers you that way. When Jim Carrey was the heroine addict in The Dead Pool he was not well known yet. Can you ever imagine him today doing that same role after seeing The Mask or Liar Liar? Perception by the audience, whether right or wrong usually stereotypes actors into certain roles.


http://www.hulu.com/#!watch/4156

[AKA23]

BDC, what made you choose Alec Baldwin for a potential "Dirty Harry" reboot? I agree with your assessment of the movie industry today.

[Hemlock]

I like Alec Baldwin but if he had played Dirty Harry he should`ve done that early 90`s at the latest...luckily there`s no (immediate) plans for making a new Dirty Harry-movie.Maybe even hollywood considers that character as iconic/untouchable 

[Rawhide7]

I've thought about it. I don't like Alec Baldwin as an actor, so I wouldn't support the choice. I don't personally see the need for a "Dirty Harry reboot," but even if I did, he wouldn't be an actor I'd choose for that part.

I agree!  I also have never cared for Baldwin either.  And I could'nt see him being Harry either. 

[Rawhide7]

I'm not very big on remakes with a few rare exceptions.  And I would defenetely not be for a remake of the Dirty Harry movies.  It would ruin the original!

[macDave]

I certainly like Alec Baldwin as an actor and enjoyed watching him just last night in " It's Complicated " but no, I can't see him as Dirty Harry. 
My choice (bearing in mind my first choice would be to never remake it,) would be Hugh Jackman.  If you've seen him as Wolverine you'll know what I mean. 

[JSE]

I agree that Hugh Jackman would be a good choice in a reboot of Dirty Harry due to his physical similarities to Clint but they might like to go with an entire new look and feel to the location and characters. I wouldn't mind seeing what they came up with if done by a respected director and actor. I don't think anything could ruin the original film,  if the reboot was lousy then it actually shows the original to be an even greater piece of film-making.

I don't think it's inevitable that Warner Bros will reboot this franchise in the near future as we're very much entrenched in the era of comic book / fantasy reboots but then again Warner Bros franchisees have run dry in recent years what with the Harry Potter series and the Batman trilogy over so they might start looking for other possibilities.

[macDave]

The more I think about it the less likely a remake seems feasible.  It would have to be a period piece if the politics were to make sense and to excuse the non-pc language and stereotyping.  And then the clothes and the cars on a scale big enough to be believable would be a big and costly undertaking. 

I agree that whatever happens won't affect the original which has still to receive it's proper recognition.  (Which it probably never will due to the right wing politics.)

[The Man With No Aim]

Clint Eastwood created such a powerful screen presence as Harry Callahan that it will be next to impossible for any other actor to reprise the screen persona.

Creating a "flashback" movie set in the same 70s era using an actor having a STRONG physical resemblance is a long shot, but, CE fans will also want a believable emotional resemblance. Not likely. CE is a one-off.

A really long shot possibility is a film casting Harry in his maturity, USING CLINT AS DIRTY HARRY, fully utilizing a mature and aging man suffering the losses of aging but still maintaining his strong sense of right and wrong.

I have been imagining how it could be done and could be inspiring, both for old guys like me, and, for an old actor who still has something to say.

[macDave]

" ..a film casting Harry in his maturity...a mature and aging man suffering the losses of aging but still maintaining his strong sense of right and wrong,"

Sounds like 'Gran Torino.'

[macDave]

'Quiet here, isn't it?

[Americanbeauty]

You know something? One day they might indeed decide to reboot the DH movies, even though it would be wrong in every way possible... and you know who they will probably go for to play DH or at least strongly consider IF that ever happens? Bradley Cooper or Ryan Gosling. They're like the go-to actors in Hollywood right now (in addition to being very bankable)
I'm not saying that would be a good idea... Just throwing it out there

[Whistledixie]

A really long shot possibility is a film casting Harry in his maturity, USING CLINT AS DIRTY HARRY, fully utilizing a mature and aging man suffering the losses of aging but still maintaining his strong sense of right and wrong.
I have been imagining how it could be done and could be inspiring, both for old guys like me, and, for an old actor who still has something to say.

If Harry were still alive, he'd still be Harry. I think there could be plenty there to make an entertaining film, without being gratuitous...

[JSE]

I've just watched an interview with Scott Eastwood and he looks more like a young Clint every year it seems.  I can imagine that Scott would be a good choice for a prequel simply titled 'Harry Callahan' that takes the character through his early cases that saw him promoted to Inspector. I can't vouch for Scott's acting ability though as I've not seen him in a lead role.

Scott wouldn't be parroting the original performance as such because Harry would be a different person with a different take on life.  His wife would not have been randomly run down yet and he wouldn't have the reputation of 'Harry hates everybody' yet.  It could be interesting if done correctly.

[TWOMULES]

JSE, good idea for a prequel.

We will probably see a remake of Dirty Harry in the future. Everything gets remade in Hollywood now, it's just a matter of time before a Clint Eastwood classic gets a reboot. 

[Whistledixie]

I can imagine that Scott would be a good choice for a prequel simply titled 'Harry Callahan' that takes the character through his early cases that saw him promoted to Inspector. . . Scott wouldn't be parroting the original performance as such because Harry would be a different person with a different take on life.  His wife would not have been randomly run down yet and he wouldn't have the reputation of 'Harry hates everybody' yet.  It could be interesting if done correctly.

Definitely...like DeNiro doing a younger Brando/Vito Corleone in Godfather II... plenty there for another performer to do a whole other version of the character, but shaped by the first version...  not to say he's a DeNiro, since I haven't seen him either, but same idea...

I could see them doing a reboot...it'd be a bit like doing Rocky without Stallone, but that could probably happen one day too... and a Terminator without Arnold, if they haven't already...

Still think Clint could do one more interesting take. Put a coda on the character...  In the intro to the Schickel biography CE says he hopes the book becomes outdated because he changed something or did something new, and later it says Dead Pool was the last Dirty Harry movie...so he could outdate it right there if he did one more go as Callahan...

[Perry]

It's interesting people are talking a bout a reboot of Dirty Harry where the sequels werent even worthy as the original movie.