As “F9: The Fast Saga” is about to break a pandemic era box office record this weekend, Vin Diesel might already attempt to push Universal Pictures to new and strange places with the “Fast & Furious” franchise. Could we end up seeing a musical about street racers?
While speaking with Kelly Clarkson on her daytime talk show, Diesel was asked if he would be interested in doing a musical version of “Fast & Furious.” Vin Diesel revealed he’s been dying to do a musical for ages. Also, out of left field, Diesel mentioned that he was close to reuniting with his “Saving Private Ryan” director Steven Spielberg for a “Guys & Dolls” remake. However, he didn’t give any concrete details on what that project would have looked like or why things didn’t work out.
“I’m dying to do a musical; I’ve been dying to do a musical my whole life. I was this close [gestures with two fingers] doing ‘Guys & Dolls’ with Steven Spielberg, and we ended up not doing that, but dying to do a musical,” the action star revealed on the Kelly Clarkson Show.
Diesel continued to allude that he was up for the Nathan Detroit role in Steven Spielberg’s remake, “For the longest time, I thought the Nathan Detroit role in ‘Guys & Dolls’ would be a very interesting one to revamp. The character that Frank Sinatra played.”
Spielberg, of course, recently shot a modern remake of “West Side Story” for 20th Century Studios and is due to be released on December 10, which might mean “Guys And Dolls” might not be a thing for him any longer.
READ MORE: ‘Guys And Dolls’ Remake Moving Forward With Michael Grandage Directing
The original 1955 film was directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, the younger brother of “Citizen Kane” screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz and the subject of the recent Oscar-winning David Fincher film “Mank.” “Guys & Dolls” starred future “Godfather” actor Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Vivian Blaine, and legendary crooner Frank Sinatra. The latter famously had very real connections with organized crime.
READ MORE: Fox Wants Channing Tatum & Joseph Gordon-Levitt For Their ‘Guys And Dolls’ Remake
A remake of “Guys & Dolls” had been in the works at 20th Century Fox with director Michael Grandage (“Genius,” “My Policeman“) pre-merger before the project switched over to Sony‘s TriStar Pictures in 2019. During the Fox incarnation, the studio was reportedly eyeing Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt for lead roles, both potential casting choices making much more sense than someone like Vin Diesel.