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Mangold boards the '3.10 to Yuma'

The 'Walk the Line' director plans to remake the western classic.

Feb 21 2006

Riding high from the critical and commercial success of 'Walk the Line', director James Mangold and his producer (and wife) Cathy Konrad have announced plans to remake the classic western '3.10 to Yuma'.

Based on a short story penned by Elmore Leonard, the original hit the big screen in 1957 with Glenn Ford and Van Heflin in the leads.

It told the story of a small-time farmer who agrees to escort a dangerous criminal to the state penitentiary in Yuma, with much of the action revolving around the wait for the titular train.

Stuart Beattie ('Collateral') has written the script, with shooting expected to start in the summer.

'There are a lot of good-bad themes that were only touched on in the original' Mangold told Variety of the project. 'A lot of westerns are meditative, but this is a total struggle culminating in a showdown, which has the potential to be one of the great movie gunfights.'

To read Time Out's review of the original, click here.

User comments on this story

Barrie Holland said...

Further to my previous comments I would like to say that I have studied the American Western for 60 (sixty) years now and I am considered quite an authority on the subject. I have seen every 'A' WESTERN since 1936. Like many other Western affecionados out there I cannot see the need to remake great Western Classics..For instance...'Shane' IS Alan Ladd..'Red River' IS John Wayne...'The Naked Spur' IS
James Stewart...'Ride the High Country' IS Randolph Scott and Joel McCrea...Marlon Brando IS 'One-Eyed Jacks'..
Charlton Heston IS 'Will Penny'...the list is endless...!
most of these great Western Actors amongst many othersare sadly no longer with us...whether it be the great 'baddies' like Lee Van Cleef, Jack Elam, Leo Gordon, Robert J. Wilke, or other great Western Stars, their performances cannot be replaced ,as everyone of them holds a 'Special Place' in the hearts of those among us who were lucky enough to have grown up in the days of Great Westerns...the like of which we will never see again! Happy Trails! to all of you who read these comments...! Posted on Jun 18 2007 23:40

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barrie holland said...

As a professional actor/////////////////////////
As a professional actor/western film buff let me say you cannot remake classic westerns...so why bother...? Replace Glenn Ford and Van Heflin let's not be silly now! Look at 'High Noon'
.Tom Skerritt is not Gary Cooper!...no further comment..! Posted on Jun 18 2007 03:53

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