Time to find that one-armed man again.
By Brandon Wolfe
1993’s The Fugitive, the big-screen adaptation of the ‘60s television series, stands as arguably the best TV-to-film adaptation of all time. Directed by Andrew Davis (who never went on to fully realize the promise he showed here), the film was a top-notch action-thriller, with a great turn by Harrison Ford as the hunted, wrongfully accused Dr. Richard Kimble and an Oscar-winning performance by Tommy Lee Jones as the dogged U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard. The film was one of the biggest hits of 1993 and was nominated for Best Picture. It also spawned a mediocre spin-off sequel about Gerard, 1998’s U.S. Marshals, and a hazily remembered TV revival in 2000.
And now, as is customary in our modern age, it’s time for The Fugitive to get back out there to chase down a couple of extra bucks as Warner Bros has commissioned a new installment of the venerable franchise. Original producers Arnold and Anne Kopelson are returning, and have hired Christina Hodson to write the script. There is no word on whether or not Ford or Jones would be involved, but that doesn’t seem likely. Ford has been game for any and all sequels lately, but it would be very difficult to plausibly get Kimble back on the lam, a dilemma that U.S. Marshals chose to sidestep entirely (and given how poorly received that film was, it’s unlikely Jones would want to make another return appearance, either). No, look for a new Kimble to hunt for another amputee in theaters soon, to vastly diminished results.
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