Untitled Frank Bullitt Project | Steven Spielberg

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Even as he juggles an award season campaign for West Side Story and post-production on his semi-autobiographical pic The Fablemans, Steven Spielberg looks to be getting that future dance card in order as sources tell Deadline he is attached to direct a new original story centered on Frank Bullitt, the iconic character played by Steve McQueen in the 1968 thriller, Bullitt. Spielberg will also produce the pic along with Kristie Macosko Krieger with Josh Singer on board to pen the script. Sources do add that with no script and deals still being finalized, this would likely not be the next project he directs.

Sources were adamant this is not a remake of that film but a new original idea centered on the character.

Insiders say Spielberg had been toying with the idea to direct a film based on the character for some time and came close last year to making it his follow-up to West Side Story but had to negotiate with the McQueen estate for the rights to the character before he would attach as a director. With the negotiations taking longer then expected, Spielberg shifted his focus to directing The Fablemans, the film which is loosely based on the director’s childhood growing up in Arizona, and moved off of this film. Once filming wrapped on Fablemans, he circled back to the Frank Bullitt project and recently tapped Singer to pen the script. source