In this season of remakes (some good, some bad) John Travolta has decided to jump on board the subway train for a remake of the 1974 high-action drama “The Taking of Pelham 123,” which promises to be one of the better remakes to come along in a while.
The mega-star is currently in negotiations to join another superstar actor, Denzel Washington – age 52, to play the leader of the group of hijackers who overtake the train and hold all of its passengers for ransom. Washington will play of the detective, originally made famous by the legendary actor Walter Matthau.
This will be the 53-year old Travolta’s first big action flick since he appeared as the baddie in the comicbook film “Punisher” with Thomas Jane in 2004. He will also return for the “Wild Hogs” comedy sequel called “Old Dogs” which will co-star Robin Williams.
Denzel Washington’s last SF film was the gripping 2006 thriller “Deja Vu,” and he will be starring in the highly anticipated “American Gangster” which premieres worldwide on November 2, 2007. Washington’s next major film, currently in post-production, is “The Debaters,” which tells the true story of Melvin B. Tolson, a professor at Wiley College Texas. In 1935, he inspired students to form the school’s first debate team, which went on to challenge Harvard in the national championship. “The Debaters,” which will be directed by and star Washington, debuts December 25, 2007.
Tony Scott will direct the David Koepp (“War of the Worlds”) “Pelham 123” script for Columbia Pictures. Koepp will also be writing the screenplay for “Spider Man 4” and the comedy-fantasy titled “Ghost Town” with Academy Award nominee and Emmy winner Greg Kinnear and Téa Leoni. Be sure to tune-in to Slice of SciFi Show #133 on November 3 for more details about this Kinnear feature film.