Clint Eastwood is a cinematic icon. While his grizzly demeanor is best attached to his classic western films, he has an illustrious career spanning five decades.
Despite carving his Hollywood star on the loins of his acting chops, he’s also a revered director. He even hasn’t slowed in his old age, turning in some of his best performances past the age of 80.
As amazing as Eastwood has been over the course of his one-of-a-kind film career, I can’t help but think about some of his unforgettable movies and how they could be redone.
Could they be done better? Probably not. However, Hollywood loves a good remake, and virtually nothing has been off limits until now. With that, here’s my take on the five best Clint Eastwood movies that should be remade – and which actor could thrive in Eastwood’s shoes.
The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
Arguably Eastwood’s best western movie, it also comes in as his best rated flick at RottenTomatoes.com.
It’s part of the famed spaghetti westerns trilogy from Sergio Leone, so replicating the feel and tone of this movie – let alone any of them – is next to impossible.
For me, it’d be more about this western’s specific story, and the dynamic of one (sort of) good guy, a clear bad guy, and another guy who is somewhere in between.
If Hollywood ever opted to do The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly again, I’d cast Denzel Washington in the leading role, with Tom Hardy as the main antagonist, and Benicio Del Toro to round things out.
You need someone who can carry scenes with saying very little and Denzel can do that better than most. Hardy is also elite at blending humor with villainous behavior, while Del Toro has proven he can knock out any role.
Unforgiven
This is a classic Clint Eastwood western that is much more emotional and deep than some of his others. It also has a lot less action involved.
The heart of this reboot is the story, but I’d like to see it be put together a little differently, with a faster pace and more action scenes.
Ready for the big switch-up? Let’s cast a woman in Eastwood’s place.
My vote is for Nicole Kidman, who has displayed the ability to crush this type of role. Don’t believe me? Just check her out in Destroyer.
Kidman can pull this off. She’s aged and seasoned enough, and we could pair her with a worthwhile partner like Charlize Theron.
As for the main villain, why don’t we see what kind of darkness Michael Keaton can summon? Known mostly as the good guy, he’d offer the charm and confidence Gene Hackman displayed in the original, and that’d set up his acts of cruelty to be even more damaging on screen.
The Outlaw Josey Wales
Hollywood loves a good revenge story. Few are better than The Outlaw Josey Wales, and I’ll admit it’s tough to imagine anyone even trying to fill Eastwood’s shoes here.
However, as is the case with a lot of older movies, the original does have a slow pace, and it feels like forever before Eastwood’s character happens upon a resolution.
For the remake of this one, I’d want to speed things up and insert a bit more action.
As for the cast, Karl Urban stands out as someone stoic enough to pull this reboot off, and someone like Tom Holland or Timothee Chalamet could aid him as his young sidekick.
Dirty Harry
I’m talking about an entire reboot of the Dirty Harry franchise here. It doesn’t take a genius to see that an action-packed trilogy with a badass cop who takes no prisoners would sell (again).
The new stories would be more fast-paced with an updated feel, and Hollywood could rebrand it and make a boatload off of a series that already worked.
But who would carry it? My vote is for Tom Hardy.
Hardy is just the right shades of good and evil, so he could play every version of Dirty Harry the audience would need to see.
And do you think he’d have any trouble making some of those classic Dirty Harry lines his own? I sure don’t.
Hang ‘Em High
Here’s my last Clint Eastwood movie remake idea. To be fair, I am okay with none of these Clint Eastwood movies ever being remade. It’d just be fun to see these stories redone, sped up, and with different actors.
Let’s close with Hang ‘Em High, which is another classic revenge tale. The lead actor would need to be someone who can first be vulnerable, but has the edge to later take everyone out.
Ryan Gosling stands out as a fantastic choice for this one, as we know he has a killer edge after shooting everyone to the moon in The Gray Man.
Gosling has a pretty quiet and unassuming demeanor, so he absolutely could be taken advantage of and overpowered. However, he’s also proven he has considerable grit, so an uprising couldn’t be ruled out, either.
I think he’d nail both elements of this role, and he’d help modernize a dark western tale.
What Other Clint Eastwood Movies Should Be Remade?
What other top Clint Eastwood movies should be remade? The reasoning will be different depending on who you talk to, and nothing tops the originals.
However, these are some of the best action films and westerns you’ll find, and updating them with new twists or different actors could pay homage to the originals, and give us something fresh (kind of) in the theater.
Love/hate my Clint Eastwood movie reboot ideas? Let me hear it in the comments below!
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