I love movies and I love cars, and so, I love car movies. Great ones, especially, but all of them, really. Even such gems as Driven and Need For Speed. Was Need For Speed even that bad? I need to rewatch.
Anyway, whether good or great or actual dreck, I think every car movie is ripe for a remake or sequel. No matter how well made the original was, there’s a lot more that can be done with today’s camera technology and VFX. Or maybe it’ll just be fun to see a great movie updated with today’s latest stars and cars. Whatever the reason, I want to know what car movies (and what constitutes a “car movie” is up to you) you’d like to see “reimagined” (ugh) for modern screens, if not modern sensibilities.
The Bishop’s choice is The Driver, a movie I’m embarrassed to say I haven’t seen. I mean, come on, a 1978 Walter Hill film with Ryan O’Neal and Bruce Dern about a getaway wheelman? It’s a must-see! The Bish imagines a remake in the mode of “a low-key Heat or The Town,” but I’m excited just to see the O.G.
Says Bishop:
You wouldn’t imagine sixties heartthrob Ryan O’Neal as a low-key bank robbery getaway driver, but he works perfectly in this underrated film. Come on, anything with Bruce Dern has to be worth a look. Some might say that Baby Driver was a sort-of remake but it takes it too over-the-top.
Actually, it’s been 15 years since the film Drive, so a remake of The Driver might be a nice scratch for that itch. Maybe they’d use that guy from The Bear. You know, that dude that always looks sad and brooding with some kind of deep feelings.
Also, The Driver features a scene in a parking garage with more U.S. spec Peugeot 604s than you’ll ever see in one picture (and some bonus 504s):
BONUS, from The Bish: brand-new 504!
Here’s the 1978 trailer (below); I also really like the 4K restoration trailer:
As for Mercedes, would you be surprised she’s all about cimema’s most famous bus movie? I’m talking about Speed, of course.
Speed was glorious for figuring out how to take the least-thrilling form of public transportation, the bus, and turn it into an edge-of-your-seat action film. The plot is stupid on so many counts, and the film gives a large middle finger to physics when it wants to. But come on, tell me you wouldn’t want to see a Speed for 2026 with another beautiful General Motors bus struggle to never fall below 50 mph? I suppose the modern equivalent would have to be a New Flyer or something.
Look, this is just a flimsy excuse for me to say I want to see another bus run around an airport.
I’m sure you’ve all seen Speed, but here’s the trailer anyway:
Your turn: which car movies are crying out for a sequel or remake? What do you want to see in the new film? Who do you want to direct? What actors and cars should star? All that stuff!
Top graphic image: 20th Century Fox
I’m with others here – no more remakes, “reimaginings”, or unnecessary sequels. I want more original movies with unique ideas, not the cash-grab slop we get so much of today.
Also, Speed needs a remake as much as it needed its awful sequel.
Duel. But it would probably get wrapped up in some sort of complicated AI conspiracy, rather than the simple, stripped down plot of the original.
I’d love to see a modern director’s take on Two Lane Blacktop.
Fantastic choice. One could argue the first Fast n Furious kinda has a little of the storyline, but Vin Diesel is no Warren Oates, by a longshot.
I think it’s the perfect film for an up & coming director, shot with a shoestring budget.
And featuring some improbable musician like Drake doing surprisingly well in his role.
Honestly? I think Jack White needs to be in it.
this is the one.
Vanishing Point.
Yeah, I know they remade it in the 90s as some sort of quasi made for TV movie, but it deserves an actually good remake to wash the taste of that out of my mouth. The original is so well done, perhaps the height of 70s existential road movies, and I think the right director now could do it justice.
And leave in the Angel of Death scene cut from the U.S. release.
And since the Challenger’s been discontinued, the original plot can still work; nobody would pay to have a new one driven cross country these days, but a used one, they might.
None. Everything is a remake now and most all of them miss out on the original.
Make. Something. New.
Also use real effects with some assistance from CGI. Fury Road shows the way.
Like the Snowman said (apocryphal):
https://i.imgur.com/FaoipWE.png
With F1’s recent revival, it’s just missing one thing . . . Ricky Bobby, Les Nuits de Circuit Paul Ricard. Si tu n’es pas premier, tu es dernier!
I’m willing to bet if Will Farrell was in, Sascha Baron Cohen would join as well; I’d love to see Jean Jirad return.
Of course, as the team owner!
Goodbye Pork Pie
I’m sure Taika could do it.
Those Daring Young Men In Their Jaunty Jalopies.
Cannonball Run!
Obviously we need a reboot of The Italian Job where the new, bloated Minis get stuck in the sewer pipes.
It would be more of a film school exercise than a release to production (in my mind) but it could be interesting to see a modern ‘Duel’.
Harold Robbins wrote a sequel to The Betsy, just saying
(Flameproof suit on)
Remake Bullitt. Car chase aside, it’s a pretty bad movie. Maybe make a film worthy of the car chase?
That tracks.
I’ll disagree. Without the car chase, it’s still a decent neo-noir. Less appreciated is how Yates and McQueen focused on realism as much as they could, which was pretty novel back then. The hospital scenes, the political influence, the lack of police resources, and McQueen’s Bullitt doggedly running down the leads to unravel the case…it’s a fairly real world setup.
“Monte Carlo or Bust”
aka: “Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies”
Also:
“It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” – which is apparently in development by no other than Eddie Murphy.
https://www.imdb.com/news/ni65569439/
Great choices! I think Monte Carol or Bust is so low budget that The Autopian could actually make it.
I think Mercedes would prefer the sequel to “Speed” use a motor home.
Or a train. (Sorry, “Unstoppable” did it already.)
There was already a sequel to Speed. It was on a boat.
True, but that was stupid.
A motorhome, though…
(It was supposed to get me a COTD notice!)
Or a train. (Sorry, “Unstoppable” did it already.)
Silver Streak did it way back in 1976 with the classic duo of Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor.
“King of the Mountain” no CGI. Not sure who to play the Harry Hamlin and Dennis Hopper roles, I’m open. Zendaya and Woody Harrelson?
Would’ve loved to have seen more of the Wachowskis’ Speed Racer, maybe leaning a bit harder into the ’60s retrofuturism.
Wouldn’t call it a car movie, but it does have the World’s greatest car chase in it (IMHO): The Seven-Ups!
Yes it’s Bill Hickman again, of Bullit car chase fame. Just even more.
Would be nice with a decent remake of that. The old one is also absolutely great, so no need really…
To Live and Die in LA!
Yes please.
I’m a big fan of that movie. I love that it serves as a sideways sequel to the French Connection, just with Roy Scheider’s detective as the lead, under a different name, and with Hickman driving instead of just choreographing things.
None, because wth happened to us all that we can’t watch something new? F&$k sequels, remakes, prequels and franchises.
Clearly, the best choice here is The Great Race.
Same race start and destination, with more modern cars, going through the same locations, and veer off into other truly dangerous countries. Of course they could just do the implied sequel, Paris back to New York. Our families favorite movie!
Jim Carrey as Professor Fate.
“Push the Button, Max!”
Charlie Day as Max.
The general trend: remakes ruin things.
But what if it was already bad?
Torque and the whole FF franchise should be redone.
As a motorcyclist, I was excited when Torque came out. But wow…it’s worse than the worst FnF entry.
Repo Man
Buckaroo Banzai
Used Cars
Ohhh used cars…
Kurt russel as the lot owner
They would need a mile of cars.
For reasons unexplained, Repo Man and Used Cars always blend together in my head.
You may not remake Speed. Sorry. You know it’ll be all CGI effects and Michael Bay’ed. Two things that would ruin the charm of the original. Imagine the bus jump in modern CGI and you’ll see what I mean.
You mean, imagine if the bus jump looked more like an animated scene from a PS2 game?
You beat me to it 🙂
And I’ll add the cast: early Keanu, Sandra Bullock, Jeff Daniels, and the scene-chewery of Dennis Hopper??
Nay, say I. Nay. A naysayer am I.
(While agreeing with you, which should qualify as third-degree irony)
Fast and Furious – Takeover
Brian O’Connor goes undercover to catch Edgar and his crew as they are suspected of raiding the 7-11 and AutoZone
F&F in the age of EV would be fun.
“Danger to manifold” –> “reduced power mode until battery cools down”
“Overnighting parts from Japan” –> “lemme order this on the AliExpress app”
10 second cars –> pretty much any upper trim EV from China
Imagine f&f with no engine sound effects, but just eeeeeeeeee
If they remade Speed, I wanna see them do it with a 60ft articulated bus.
Or maybe an electric bus, with the battery quickly draining…
At least it will accelerate quickly…before running out of juice.
Oh no, we’re remaking it with the VengaBus. Cause WE LIKE TO PARTY.
or bangbus?
and call it Speee-eeed