Sony has finally released the first trailer for the remake of The Magnificent Seven, which we first previewed here at borg.com last May.  Based on a reworked script by Nic Pizzolatto (True Detective) and John Lee Hancock (Snow White And The Huntsman) from the classic John Sturges film starring Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen, the new version will be directed by Antoine Fuqua (The Equalizer, Shooter, King Arthur, Training Day). 

The list of leading actors is promising: Denzel Washington (2 Guns, Unstoppable, The Manchurian Candidate, Training Day, Philadelphia, Much Ado About Nothing), Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy, Jurassic World, Moneyball, Everwood), Vincent D’Onofrio (Men in Black, Jurassic World, Daredevil), Byung-hun Lee (Terminator Genisys, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, RED 2), Matt Bomer (White Collar, Tru Calling, Chuck), and Ethan Hawke (Gattaca, Dead Poet’s Society, White Fang, Alive, Training Day, Assault on Precinct 13) should come together to form an interesting ensemble cast.

The 1960 cast was as gritty as they come: Brynner and McQueen were joined by Charles Bronson, James Coburn, and Robert Vaughn with Brad Dexter and Horst Buchholz.

If you think a remake of one of the greatest Westerns of all time is a bad idea, recall that The Magnificent Seven itself was a remake of Akira Kurasawa’s equally superb The Seven Samurai from 1954, starring Takashi Shimura and Toshirô Mifune.  We’d also count Washington, Bomer, Hawke, Lee, and Pratt among our favorite actors in Hollywood, so this is promising.  Other actors slated for the remake include Peter Sarsgaard, Luke Grimes, and Haley Bennett (who is a ringer for Bryce Dallas Howard in the previews).

Check out this first trailer for The Magnificent Seven:

This isn’t the first time someone has tried to reinvigorate The Magnificent Seven for modern audiences.  In 1966 Yul Brynner returned to his character in Return of the Seven, also starring Warren Oates and Claude Akins.  In 1969 Guns of the Magnificent Seven starred George Kennedy as Yul Brynner’s character, Chris.  In 1972 The Magnificent Seven Ride! starred Lee Van Cleef as Chris, with James Whitmore and Joe Don Baker. Between 1998 and 2000 a TV series called The Magnificent Seven survived 22 episodes, featuring Michael Biehn (Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, Tombstone), Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Star Trek: Nemesis, Pacific Rim), Laurie Holden (Major Crimes, The Walking Dead, The X-Files), and the original movie’s star Robert Vaughn (Bullitt).  None of these came close to the quality and excitement of the 1960 version.

The Magnificent Seven hits theaters September 23, 2016.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com