'Bullitt' reloaded: Spielberg working on reboot of McQueen's car chase classic

Legendary film director Steven Spielberg is reported to be working on a modern take of the action movie Bullitt. Steve McQueen’s son, Chad, and granddaughter Molly McQueen will be executive producers of the new movie and sources say Spielberg is adamant it’s not a remake of the original but a new idea centred on the character. 

In the 1968 original Steve McQueen plays Frank Bullitt — a San Francisco cop on the hunt for a mob kingpin who killed his witness. Sources say the role of Frank Bullitt will be played by Bradley Cooper who has starred in a number of blockbusters, the most notable being The Hang Over and Limitless.

The original movie delivered what many consider the most famous car chase scenes in cinema history when Bullitt, driving a Highland Green Ford Mustang GT, hunts down the baddies in a black Dodge Charger. The significance of that Mustang saw the introduction of a Bullitt-themed Mustang in 2001 and another in 2008 for the American market. South Africa and the rest of the world got its first Bullitt model in 2019 with the global generation of the Ford Mustang. 

All the Bullitt iterations have a cool and understated menace about them that match the movie car. They are also noted for their higher performance than standard models and classic Highland Green exteriors, but the last generation was also available in Shadow Black. Appointments included subtle chrome accents, an exclusive black grille, 19-inch aluminium wheels and red-painted Brembo brakes in the current edition.

The 1968 Ford Mustang GT Steve McQueen drove in the movie  was sold in 2020 for $3.7m (R64.5m) at a US auction.

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