Remake & Reboot: The Dick Tracy Movie

Despite the legendary status of Dick Tracy, the mainstream public doesn’t remember him from his classic comic strips but more as an antiquated icon like Little Orphan Annie or for the 1990 Warren Beatty film. Cartoonist Chester Gould’s long-running Dick Tracy strip changed comics as we know it, but after years of evolution became stuck in amber at some point as a throwback concept to a bygone age. With Warren Beatty and Tribute Media still fighting over the rights to revisit Dick Tracy on the silver screen, here’s a risky (but potentially rewarding) game plan I’d love to see them get behind.

The Concept:

Call me a traitor, but I think Dick Tracy shouldn‘t be a period piece. Creator Chester Gould was a man of his time, but he was also tech-saavy — his two-way wristwatch showed he was thinking of the future, not dreaming of the past. What if a Dick Tracy remake pushed Gould‘s characters into a modern-day crime drama with tinges of its four-color past. Think about it — did Sam Raimi‘s Spider-Man try to make its origin a 1960s period piece in keeping with Lee & Ditko‘s original stories?

In addition to fighting what was set out in Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy, any crime comic set for a film adaptation is also weighed heavily by the success of Sin City. For a new Dick Tracy to work, it needs to be neither and both at the same time, crafting something unique.

For a modern remake, imagine a new detective to the force with big shoes to fill. War veteran Dick Tracy is the son of a decorated cop, but comes onto the force at a time where the cops are outpaced by modern technology and tactics of the criminals they face. Tracy is a workaholic cop with something to prove, who tries to balance a budding relationship with Tess Trueheart with the demands and duties of law enforcement. The underworld is ruled by a businessman the local papers call Flat-top for a bad haircut he once had, but comedy is kept on the fringes as Tracy goes to extraordinary means to make up for lost ground and get on even footing with the criminal element.  

The Director:

How do you surmount the mark that Warren Beatty’s 1990 movie made on movie-goers without disfranchising fans who want you to adhere to the original comic strips of yore? It’s a similar challenge Tim Burton faced in Batman, especially if you equate Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy with the Adam West Batman television series. What this Dick Tracy remake needs is Antoine Fuqua.

Fuqua made his name with 2001‘s Training Day but has yet to deliver as critical a hit since. But that being said, his films since have all been strong efforts just slightly unfocused. For this I‘d partner Fuqua with someone like Lawrence Kasdan to come up with a solid script and direction and let him run with it.

The Cast:

 

Dick Tracy / Adam Scott: Although best known for his comedic work on TV’s Party Down and Parks & Recreation, any serious fan needs to take a look at his dramatic work such as in the recent film The Vicious Kind. Scott shows an amazing versatility and could easily get in the mindset to deliver a deep and three-dimensional performance as Dick Tracy.

 

Flattop Jones / Gabriel Byrne: Byrne is so good at playing the big bad, and he could bring a serious tone to the comedic Flattop Jones role. Remember, this is a crime movie not a comic — imagine Byrne’s weight and voice tearing Chicago and Tracy up and down.

 

Tess Trueheart / Gemma Arterton: Trueheart’s role in the 90s Dick Tracy was largely overshadowed by Madonna’s role, but Gemma Arterton could breathe a full life into this role in more ways than one.

 

Chief Brandon / Stacy Keach: Who better to transmit the real life on the force than veteran actor Stacy Keach? After seeing him recently on Lights Out I’m dying to see him take on this kind of mentoring role again.

 

Pat Patton / Callan McAuliffe: There wasn’t many good parts to the recent film I Am Number Four, but one of them was comic relief actor Callan McAuliffe. McAuliffe would fill in nicely as Tracy’s bumbling partner.

 

Diet Smith / Hal Holbrook: The perennial actor is best known for his years playing Mark Twain, but Holbrook chooses his roles carefully. Having Holbrook on this case could add some acting firepower and balance out a great ensemble cast.