After the much debated decision to remake the Jimmy Stewart film Harvey with Robert Downey Jr. in the lead role, director Steven Spielberg is apparently now abandoning the project, so says Variety (via IGN). Sources seem to indicate that the main reason for the departure was due to creative differences between Spielberg and Downey Jr. over the direction the script should take, with the star apparently already having rewritten portions of the film. Because of this, Spielberg decided to call off the film, and is likely to pursue one of his other pending projects. Read the full story

A story at /Film says that Steven Spielberg revealed in a press release today that he will be directing a remake of the 1950 Jimmy Stewart film Harvey.  Having finished principal photography on Tintin, many assumed his next project would be his proposed Lincoln biopic or an Oldboy remake, but he has chosen this as his next project, to be co-distributed by 20th Century Fox and Dremaworks.  Screenwriter Jonathan Tropper has written the movie’s script.

The story of a mild-mannered man who claims to see a 6-foot tall rabbit, Harvey was originally a stage playon Broadway and adapted twice for television, one of which according to IMDb starred Stewart again in the role of Elwood P. Dowd.  The same story claims that the movie will begin shooting as soon as early 2010.  Already there seem to be rumors of Tom Hanks taking over the role, making this the fourth collaboration between him and Spielberg, after Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me if You Can, and The Terminal.

I don’t know if I’m warm to the idea of this.  I’ve never seen the original film, but I would rather see Spielberg do Lincoln or even the Oldboy remake with Will Smith.  That being said, I always have confidence in him to make a good film, so I shouldn’t remain excessively pessimistic about this just yet.

What do you think of Spielberg directing a Harvey remake?