'He's NO Steve McQueen': Fans unhappy as Bradley Cooper set to play Frank Bullitt in Steven Spielberg's next

The initial reaction was positive, but fans are divided now over Bradley Cooper's casting as Frank Bullitt
Bradley Copper attending an event and Steve McQueen as Frank Bullitt in 'Bullitt' (Anglea Weiss/Getty Images and Warner Bros)
Bradley Copper attending an event and Steve McQueen as Frank Bullitt in 'Bullitt' (Anglea Weiss/Getty Images and Warner Bros)

Steven Spielberg and Bradley Cooper are two of the most influential people working in the industry right now. Spielberg is considered to be one of the greatest of all time while Cooper has become one of the most dependable and bankable stars in Hollywood. Even the thought of the two aforementioned personalities working with each other excited everyone and now it looks like that dream is finally coming true because the iconic filmmaker has seemed to find his Frank Bullitt in Bradley Cooper.

Lt Frank Bullit is a fictional character created by director Peter Yates for the 1968 movie ‘Bullitt’ and was played by none other than Steve McQueen. The movie primarily focused on Frank Bullitt, a San Francisco police lieutenant who is tasked to guard a Chicago gangster until he can be presented as a witness in a hearing on organized crime.
However, things go downhill when two hitmen manage to shoot the gangster in the neck and eventually die before getting to the hearing. The film is known for its masterful storytelling, McQueen’s superb performance, and an epic car chase scene that became one of the most influential scenes in the history of cinema. Cooper now has a chance to be a part of this history as well as he is set to play the iconic character in Spielberg’s next.

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Steve McQueen as Frank Bullitt in 'Bullitt' (Warner Bros)
Steve McQueen as Frank Bullitt in 'Bullitt' (Warner Bros)

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cooper will be playing the lead role in Steven Spielberg’s upcoming film, which will be based on Steve McQueen’s character Frank Bullitt. However, the media outlet also reported that the movie won’t be a remake of 1968 classic and will be based on a new idea centered on the character.

Josh Singer, who is known for writing projects like ‘Spotlight’, ‘The Post’, and ‘The First Man’, will be writing the script for the new ‘Bullitt’ movie. On the other hand, family members such as Molly McQueen and Chad McQueen will be joining the project as executive producers.

The news spread like wildfire on the internet and social media users had a lot to say about it. The initial reaction was positive, but it seems social media is now divided with Cooper’s casting and wanted Damian Lewis to play the character. Meanwhile, there were others who were excited by the announcement but felt that no one could match McQueen’s charisma. One of the users said, “Damian Lewis was right there.” Another user wrote, “Really love this idea but I also really can’t see anyone else playing Bullit, even more so emulating McQueen.” “Meh. He's no Steve McQueen,” another social media user said.



 



 



 

Meanwhile, there were many who got really excited after the announcement. One user wrote, “We will be watching.” Another social media user tweeted, “LETS GOOO MASTERCLASS.” Another user wrote, “Whatever this is, remake, prequel, sequel, spin-off, or all combined, the answer is hell yes.”



 



 



 

Some reports suggest that Spielberg and Cooper have been talking about the project since the pandemic forced everyone to sit at home. This will be the first time the aforementioned personalities will be working together.

As of now, Cooper is busy in the post-production of his upcoming movie ‘Maestro’, which he co-wrote, directed, produced, and stars in, alongside Carey Mulligan. The movie is a biopic on Leonard Bernstein and also stars Jeremy Strong, Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke, and Sarah Silverman in pivotal roles.

Bradley Cooper attends The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating
Bradley Cooper attends The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating "In America: An Anthology of Fashion" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 02, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

‘Maestro’ is scheduled to release on Netflix in 2023.

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