One of my all time favorite movies is Arthur Penn‘s 1967 BONNIE & CLYDE starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway. The epic story of the duo of bank robbers has become an American legend. There have been multiple attempts to tell their story on the big screen, but John Lee Hancock’s HIGHWAYMEN may be one of the more intriguing ones.
Hancock, who directed THE ROOKIE, THE ALAMO, THE BLIND SIDE, and the upcoming Disney movie SAVING MR. BANKS, has been trying to get HIGHWAYMEN made for a while. The screenplay by John Fusco takes the focus off the criminals and instead on the lawmen who tracked and ultimately killed them. According to Deadline, Liam Neeson and Woody Harrelson are being discussed to star with Neeson taking the role of legendary lawman Frank Hamer, who was coaxed by a consortium of banks to assemble a posse and end the robbery reign of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in the 1930s.
I have seen some complaints about Neeson doing a Texas accent for the movie, but I can overlook it to see him in historical badass mode. Partnering him with Woody Harrelson is an interesting choice. Part of me almost wants this to become a franchise featuring these two actors solving crimes across 1930s America. Either way, this sounds like a promising and unique take on a well told story.
Spoiler Alert!