The trailer for Michael B. Jordan's "The Thomas Crown Affair" is here, and my reaction is simple: Jordan is clearly a massive Christopher Nolan fan, and "Tenet" in particular. This plays like a 2.0 version of Nolan's film. The cool palette, the self-serious swagger and the cold, Nolan-esque look are all there.
That's the problem. Both Norman Jewison's 1968 original and John McTiernan's 1999 remake were playful, and that playfulness seems to be missing here. This version looks a little too serious for its own good, and there's no breezy charm to it. Jordan has reimagined "The Thomas Crown Affair" as a darker, more action-heavy thriller. That's a bold choice. I'm just not sure it's the right one.
I'll also pass this along, and take it for whatever it's worth…the film hasn't been testing well. The minute its LA test screening ended, I had a handful of reactions in my inbox saying it fell flat with everyone in the room.
Jordan directs and stars as Crown, a wealthy thrill-seeker who pulls off elaborate art heists for the adrenaline than for the cash. Adria Arjona, Lily Gladstone, Kenneth Branagh, Danai Gurira and Pilou Asbæk co-star. It's Jordan's second time behind the camera after "Creed III."
Jordan has admitted he grew up constantly rewatching the 1999 Pierce Brosnan/Rene Russo version and only recently caught up with the Steve McQueen/Faye Dunaway original. That shows. In fact, his infatuation with the 1999 original has resulted in the writers of that movie actually getting the main screenplay credits on Jordan’s movie!
Yes, according to TheWrap, the WGA has awarded screenplay credit to Kurt Wimmer and Leslie Dixon, the writers of the 1999 remake, alongside credited screenwriter Drew Pearce ("Hotel Artemis"). Dixon and Wimmer had nothing to do with this new version. You'd expect them to get a "story by" credit at most. Instead, they're getting full screenplay credit.
It isn't totally unheard of. Bill Walsh was credited on 1997's "Flubber" decades after his death. Joseph Stefano was credited on Gus Van Sant's shot-for-shot "Psycho,” and that one makes a lot more sense given that Van Sant purposely tried to make the exact same movie as Hitchcock in his 1998 version. Jordan isn’t trying to do that, or at least I think.
Amazon MGM is giving "The T̶e̶n̶e̶t̶ Crown Affair" an exclusive theatrical release on March 5, 2027, with no streaming shortcut. We'll see if audiences are in the mood for a heist movie this dour.
The WGA has awarded screenplay credit to Kurt Wimmer and Leslie Dixon, the writers of the 1999 remake. Dixon and Wimmer had nothing to do with this new version.