In the interests of full disclosure: I am a huge fan of Warren Beatty‘s 1990 Dick Tracy film.
Most people think I’m insane, but I urge you to take another look at the film. In fact, Dick Tracy has nearly the same unique visual flair that Sin City got so much praise for in 2006, but it was ridiculed for it during the time it was released. Not only that, but any film that unites Warren Beatty, Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, Dick Van Dyke, James Caan, and the kid from Hook has to be a winner on some level. Pacino, in particular, is a riot — if you suspect that Pacino chews the scenery, this movie is the proof — but as a crazy comic strip mob boss, it works. I mean, The Green Hornet only wishes it was half as good as this movie.
After years of battling with Tribune Co., the company which publishes the Dick Tracy comic strip, courts have put the Dick Tracy movie/television rights in the hands of Beatty. Beatty now has two years to get a Tracy project going or the rights return to Tribune.
The rights issues kept the 2002 DVD release of Dick Tracy limited to a “barebones” edition, with no special features — a pity, since the film’s visuals alone deserve a documentary. Rumors at the time suggested that Beatty had a “director’s cut” in the works, which, according to Bleeding Cool, is a 130 minutes long (25 minutes longer than the original film). This is a film whose colors are made for Blu-Ray, and I’m dying to see it that way!
But what’s next for Tracy? According to The Wrap, Beatty‘s lawyer claims “Warren’s goal is to do another major Dick Tracy project.” Beatty always has expressed intentions to make a sequel, but the rights issues prevented this. The almost 74 year old Beatty is a bit too old to play Tracy himself, but I don’t think many would object seeing Beatty direct another Dick Tracy film with the right cast in place.
Got any interest in another go at Dick Tracy? Let us know in the comments below!
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