Sinners and Creed star Michael B. Jordan is currently developing a modern adaptation of The Thomas Crown Affair, the heist story that previously brought to the big screen in 1968 and 1999. Jordan will produce and direct the film, as well as star as the titular billionaire with a fixation on valuable art. But although the film will definitely draw from the previous adaptations (starring Steve McQueen and Pierce Brosnan, respectively), Jordan says his version shouldn’t be considered a remake.
Jordan recently appeared on the Awards Circuit Podcast, hosted by Variety. During the episode, he talked about his most important project in recent history, Sinners, which enters the awards season as a very strong contender. He added that The Thomas Crown Affair is taking up most of his time: “I’ve been gone for a year — pre-production, development, and shooting The Thomas Crown Affair. I got back 48 hours ago. It’s the second hardest thing I’ve ever had to do outside of Sinners. Directing, producing, writing, acting. It was a lot.” Jordan also talked about the film’s plot:
“I didn’t want a reboot. I wanted a reimagination. The first two films were about rich white guys stealing for fun. That doesn’t land today. Ours is more personal. The stakes are higher. Still got the fashion, romance. Ruth [E. Carter] is the queen. We’ve got an incredible cast — Adria [Arjona], Kenneth [Branagh], Pilou [Asbæk], Danai [Gurira].”
Making ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’ for a Modern Generation Is a Challenge
Jordan will return to the director’s chair after debuting in 2023 with Creed III. However, The Thomas Crown Affair is an entirely different project. Heist movies aren’t automatic hits, and the movie doesn’t belong to any other IP. The cast may be great, but that doesn’t guarantee success. Jordan faces a challenge in adapting the classic crime story for a modern audience might not be as interested.
During the podcast, Jordan addressed this, saying the project doesn’t have “too much baggage,” and that perhaps enough time has gone by for the story to be reimagined. It’s a passion project for the Black Panther star, who has already gained the trust of an entire studio that has let him pursue a movie that won’t be easy to sell:
“I loved the 1999 version as a kid — Pierce Brosnan, the slickness, the art. I didn’t grow up going to museums, so that film showed me a different side of New York. My mom’s an artist — so I was raised around paints and leather dyeing. It shaped my taste more than I realized. Later, I saw the 1968 Steve McQueen version — the split screens, the style. After Creed, MGM asked what I wanted to do next. I said, ‘Thomas Crown Affair. I need that.’
“It was just enough time and a gap between generations that I felt like it was almost an original story without its IP, but it’s not James Bond with crazy expectations, where no matter what I do, people are going to criticize it.”
- Release Date
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August 6, 1999
- Runtime
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113 Minutes