Save for Al Pacino, there's no actor in Hollywood who has worked harder in the last ten years to undercut his own legacy than Robert De Niro. Formerly known as one of the greatest actors of all time, the two-time Oscar winner has spent the last ten years making absolute dreck like Showtime, Hide and Seek, Righteous Kill, New Year's Eve and the Meet The Parents sequels. But apparently he's not content with just making a mockery of his current career - he has to besmirch his legacy as well.
Apparently a Midnight Run 2 is now in development with De Niro attached as Deadline reports that Universal has hired David Elliot and Paul Lovett to write the script and is currently in negotiations with Brett Ratner to direct. In the original, directed by Martin Brest, De Niro played Jack Walsh, a bounty hunter who has dreams of retirement but instead gets stuck having to capture and transport a talkative accountant named Jonathan “The Duke” Mardukas, played by Charles Grodin. There is no word if Grodin will return for the sequel as well. The studio had initially hired Tim Dowling to write the script's project, but now Elliot and Lovett have been brought in for a re-write. The duo previously wrote the scripts for both Four Brothers and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.
A few years ago if you had asked me if I would want to see a Midnight Run 2 I would have said "hell yes," but this news just bums me out. De Niro just seems to be scraping the bottom of the barrel now and Brett Ratner directing? I can't even believe that's an idea someone had. With any luck this will end up being like most of Ratner's projects in that it causes a big stir when first announced and then goes absolutely nowhere.
