There have been a few good Westerns in recent memory, but there is certainly room for a big budget blockbuster. You would need to hire Cormac McCarthy to write it with the help of Larry McMurtry, and let the Coen brothers work their magic on it. The movie would be filled with sweeping vistas and John Williams’ music. Of course, you would also need some heavy hitters to fill those boots…
Stars:
- Kurt Russell – Cabell (Retired Texas Ranger)
- Kevin Costner – Ellis (Retired Texas Ranger)
- Harrison Ford – Jedediah (Annie’s father)
- Leonardo DiCaprio – Jackson (Aristocrat from Boston)
- Diane Lane – Annie (former lover of both Cabell and Ellis)
- Kate Beckinsale – Marion (Jackson’s new bride)
Plot Synopsis:
Jackson and his wife, Marion, are well-bred Bostonians taking the scenic route on their way to San Francisco, where Jackson has some business interests. Annie is among the wagon train as she is returning from a visit with her brother, who is in a Civil War hospital in Virginia. Their wagon train is attacked by Comanches. Marion is taken hostage along with Annie and several other women, and Jackson is left for dead.
Cabell and Ellis are both retired Texas Rangers who have been fighting for Annie’s affection for years. When they hear of her abduction, they agree to bury their differences and set out to find her and the other survivors. Jackson demands to go with them, despite his lack of skills. The trio seek out Annie’s father, Jedediah, who is the town drunk, but was one of the best trackers in Texas before losing his wife to cholera.
The four hit the trail and it isn’t long before they have to overcome their personal differences along with the perils of Indian country. As the story progresses, the retired rangers are forced to face the demons they buried years ago.
Jackson is a skilled marksman, having participated in many sport shooting tournaments. Before setting out on his quest to find his bride, he had never shot a person before. He learns that it gets easier, and by the end, he has devolved into a barbaric state.
When the group finally catches up to the band of Comanche warriors, Marion dies in her young husband’s arms. Cabell dies in a fierce close combat fight to save Annie. Jackson makes an impossible long range rifle shot to kill the Comanche warrior who is trying to make his final escape. After this experience, there is no way for Jackson to return to the civilized world and he sets off on his own.
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This is the latest post in response to the weekly blog challenge presented by the League of Extraordinary Bloggers. This week’s topic asked you to assemble a blockbuster cast and plot out a surefire Hollywood hit.
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My dad, a big western fan, would have loved it.
I was hoping after the success of True Grit, we would see a lot more westerns.
Damn, Brian, you are speaking with my mind. I am appalled there are no more modern westerns. I realize Cowboys and Aliens under-performed, but with True Grit and 3:10 to Yuma they couldn’t get anymore made? WTF?! I want more westerns.
Btw, you did a great job with your movie and cast. I’m sad I didn’t come up with a plot for my movie. I was just casting people without a plot in mind (sort of like Stallone did for the first Expendables).
Ha! You mean explosions and steroids don’t count as a plot???
I love me some good westerns. On a sidenote my uncle owned a huge bookstore in San Francisco and when he passed away my sister and i became it’s new owner. Well one of my uncles friends was Larry McMurtry and he purchased many books from us.
That’s so awesome Frank! McMurtry has been one of my favorite authors for many years. He used to have a bookstore here in DC, but it was a little too early for me. On my bucket list is a trip to his massive bookstore in Texas. I’d love to hear more about your book store if you still have it. Are you maintaining in this tough economy? The used bookstores around here are drying up rapidly, despite my best efforts at funding them! 😉
Well my uncle had about 100,000 books in his store when he passed. My sister and i sold ALOT of books and when we had to be in LA we left one of his friends in charge of the store to keep selling books. It was fun but at the same time it was a huge pain in the a$$. I still have alot of cool books and records that i brought home.
Well done, Brian! I should have guessed you’d go in this direction. 😉 I agree, more Westerns would be a good thing.
Thanks Jeremy! You need to stop being so productive and get back in the League. 😉 I would have loved to hear your response to this week’s topic. (Or maybe you’re filming it now!?)
I know! I was so excited to do this one! Life is going in so many directions right now. I was going to actually post what I’m writing right now and include some of the script. Alas, I am a bad bloggerty blogger of the bad blogger people. 0_O
I want to bring back the feel of the Amblin films we all love. I know, J.J yadda yadda but I had the idea first! 🙂 Well, I at least started doing it before I knew he wanted to do it too.
Maybe I can post something in the near future about what I’m doing. I’ve never been really good about sharing my writing. 🙂
You need to hurry up and become Hollywood famous, so I can say “I knew that guy when…” 😉
HA! Yea, I’d just be happy to do it for a living.