The remake of 1976 sci-fi cult classic Logan’s Run seems to be up and running again (pun not intended, but nevertheless welcome). The original movie, which was based on a 1967 novel by William F. Nolan, was about a future society where all citizens were marked for death once they reached the age of the thirty. Those who chose to escape execution were referred to as “Runners.” The protagonist, Logan, is one of those executioners, who ends up running himself after he becomes sympathetic with members of an underground railroad of Runners. Today, the movie is mostly remembered for introducing the world to future sex symbol Farrah Fawcett.
Over the years, directors like Bryan Singer and Drive’s Nicolas Winding Refn were attached to direct, with Ryan Gosling even rumored to star, but nothing ever got off the ground. Now it’s being reported that writer/producer Simon Kinberg is set to write a new version of the screenplay and jumpstart the movie again. He’s being joined by The Matrix’ Joel Silver as a producer.
Logan’s Run is just the latest geek-friendly property that Simon Kinberg has signed on for, as he has his fingers in several nerd pies already; he’s one of the executive producers on the television series Star Wars: Rebels, and is also part of the overall Star Wars story group, and is executive producer on one of the upcoming Star Wars: Anthology movies. At Fox, he was the writer on X-Men: Days of Future Past and the upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse and the Fantastic Four reboot, as well as a producer on Deadpool and Gambit. His older writing credits include Sherlock Holmes and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Basically, this guy has all your nerdy dream jobs.
Other writers over the past several years have tried to crack a Logan’s Run remake, like Alex Garland and Christopher McQuarrie, but for reasons unknown, the project just kept getting stalled. Kinberg has a knack for getting most projects he is involved with before the cameras though, so maybe now this version will be the one that finally gets made.
Considering Hollywood’s obsession with youth, a movie like Logan’s Run is more timely than ever. Considering how Hollywood movies treat actresses, essentially forcing them into playing only mothers and bosses once they hit a certain age (a problem male actors don’t seem to have) maybe it’s time to recast Logan as a woman? Logan is a girl’s name too after all. Could be a great opportunity to use the film to make a meta-commentary on how women are treated by our sexist/ageist society. Just puttin’ it out there.
