Burt Reynolds names the only actor who could star in a ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ remake: “My favourite actor”
Burt Reynolds was never an actor capable of blending into the background; he made every role he took on throughout his long and illustrious career entirely his own. From the self-directed freshwater action flick Gator to his later roles in works like The Last Movie Star, Reynolds consistently reaffirmed himself among America’s defining actors. If you had to select one film to define his career, it would most likely be Smokey and the Bandit.
For the uninitiated, Smokey and the Bandit follows the daring exploits of Bo ‘The Bandit’ Darville – played expertly by Reynolds – and Cledus ‘Snowman’ Snow as the pair attempt to illegally smuggle 400 cases of beer from Texarkana, Texas, to Atlanta, Georgia. Although that description hardly gives the impression of a profound, multi-layered piece of cinema, the film’s appeal lay largely with the impressive stunts and unsuspectingly infectious soundtrack, but mainly with Reynolds’ legendary performance.
Audiences immediately responded to the original Smokey and the Bandit film upon its release in 1977, earning around $127million at the box office in contrast to its modest $4.3million budget. Inevitably, then, the film spawned an entire franchise in an effort to keep the gravy train rolling.
Smokey and the Bandit II followed in 1980, largely retaining the same cast and crew from the first film, and earning a similar degree of favour with audiences. However, the same cannot be said for Smokey and the Bandit Part 3, which saw no involvement from original director Hal Needham and only featured a small cameo appearance from Reynolds.
Needless to say, the third film was a colossal flop. Still, Smokey and the Bandit remained a notable cultural phenomenon in America, inspiring a television miniseries during the 1990s and forming the basis of an advertisement for Mobil 1 in 2014. It is fair to assume, therefore, that Hollywood was eyeing up Smokey and the Bandit as ripe material for a remake.
Looking back, Smokey and the Bandit is incredibly ‘of its time’, and without an extensive rewrite – likely changing the spirit of the film entirely – it is difficult to see how the humour would land with modern audiences. Still, rumours and theories about a reboot have been circling for years at this point. In fact, Katie Couric asked Reynolds about the possibility directly back in 2017.
Asking the legendary actor who he would pick to play the role of the 21st-century Bandit, Reynolds promptly responded, “George Clooney is my favourite actor, but he wouldn’t do it, I don’t think.” Explaining his pessimism at recruiting Clooney, the actor continued, “He wouldn’t have to do that. He would do what he does.”
“I love his work, and he has a sense of humour about himself, which the Bandit had,” Reynolds shared, giving Clooney his ringing endorsement to take on the role, and summarising the spirit of his old character. “There’s that wonderful line that Sally [Field] had, where she says, ‘What do you do?’ and I said, ‘Show off,’ and she said, ‘You do that well,’” he laughed.
Eight years on from that interview, with Reynolds now sadly departed, and George Clooney likely too old to take on the role of The Bandit, it is unlikely that a true Smokey and the Bandit reboot will ever come to fruition, at least not in the way that Reynolds desired. Perhaps that is for the best, though. After all, the original film is still being watched and enjoyed by audiences everywhere, and Reynolds’ performance remains a masterclass of action-comedy.
