In the ’50s and ’60s, TV westerns often dominated the primetime schedules, but by the early ’70s, they all seemed go by the wayside. Attempts to revive them haven’t been met with much success, save for the Maverick feature film starring Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, and James Garner.
Now The Big Valley, the western series that launched the careers of Linda Evans and Lee Majors, is going to take a stab at a remake, with Susan Sarandon, Ryan Phillipe, Richard Drefuss, and Bruce Dern in key roles.
The Big Valley originally ran on ABC from 1965 to 1969. Barbara Stanwyck plays a widowed matriarch running a ranch in California. She has three sons and a daughter (Richard Long, Peter Breck, Charles Briles, and Linda Evans). Her late husband’s illegitimate son (Lee Majors) joins the clan as the series begins. The family’s youngest son, a medical student named Eugene (Briles), was written out during the first season.
Filmmakers Daniel Adams and Kate Edelman Johnson are behind The Big Valley feature under the banner Panther Entertainment. Adams has written the script and will direct, and Johnson happens to be the daughter of Louis Edelman, who helped create the TV series. It’s expected that the plot will borrow elements from the TV show’s pilot and some episodes. Edelman Johnson has said, “I am so thrilled to be filming this project, not only to honor my father and Miss Stanwyck, but to bring a great woman’s part to the screen as head of this historical family saga.”
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Taking on the “great woman’s part” of Victoria Barkley is Susan Sarandon. Despite a very recent breakup with longtime beau Tim Robbins, Sarandon is as busy as ever, with The Lovely Bones being released late last year, the original film You Don’t Know Jack airing on HBO next month, and two more films, Peacock and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, being released later this year.
Additionally, Ryan Phillippe recently said that he would be filming a role in the feature. The actor also said that he’d be co-starring with Sarandon, Billy Bob Thornton, Richard Drefuss, and Bruce Dern.
According to IMDB, Jason Alan Smith will be playing hot-headed brother Nick. Phillippe will be playing eldest brother Jarrod but the movie’s Facebook page says that Thornton will not be in the film. Majors is scheduled to appear as patriarch Tom Barkley, though one would expect it won’t be an extended role. No word yet if Breck or Evans will be included in the movie.
Filming is expected to get underway in May with principal photography in Michigan and New Mexico.
What do you think? Is the movie casting on track or do you have others in mind? Would you like to see Breck and Evans take part?
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Maverick,
The Big Valley
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
At this time Mr. Breck would not be able to be in the movie…. It would be nice to see Ms. Evans and Mr.Briles were it possible.
I hope it does not stray far from what the show was, (leaving out the 2000 politics)…there are many of us who loved this show for a reason…so to lose that reason would be a shame. Many of us keep that part alive with the stories we do.
And just for the record, Mr. Briles part of Eugene was never really written out they just stopped mentioning him. leaving many of us wondering what had happened.
A fan since the first show in 1965
This was a mediocre show at best, enlivened only by Barbara’s ability to work with mundane material. It would be best left on the shelf for all time but I guess not. What’s next, a movie version of Rosanne?
With all due respect to Susan Sarandon, I cannot imagine anyone in the role of Victoria Barkley except Barbara Stanwyck, and I cannot envision Jarrod Barkley played by anyone except Richard Long! I was a freshmen in college when Big Valley premiered;
it carried me through four very special years. My parents gave me a tape recorder which I used to tape every episode, and eventually wore out the tape player listening to those two distinctive voices among the others in the cast. I had been a fan of Long’s since I was six years old. I have very mixed feelings about this movie. I think I would like to remember the Big Valley as it was: big, bold and brilliant!
loved, loved, loved the show!!……the orginal cast will be hard to imitate, they were all so great, and gorgeous too!……….too bad sharon van der knapp is not an actor (that i know of, she’s a model), but her looks, from a photo i saw at a website called majorityrights.com and fanpix.net , seem to be a good match for the “audra” part, originally played by linda evans. she has the same longated face, long thin nose, wide, light blue “doe” eyes (maybe they’re contacts, but they are captivating), and pouty lips………………. i had also read at another website that maybe yvonne strahovski would be good for the role, so we’ll see, can’t wait!
Love the show, have doubts about the movie.
Completely agree with the Rev. Husted. Susan Sarandon is a fine actress, but the
best way to honor Miss Barbara Stanwyck and the rest of the fine cast is to
leave the show alone. The characters cannot be replicated. In my opinion, Its like
remaking I Love Lucy without Lucille Ball. Given the lack of origianlity in Hollywood today, I guess that project will be next.
I would also like to see Mr. Breck, Linda Evans and Charles Briles cast in the show even as minor roles or extras in the background whatever it takes to have them in it. I also hope they plan on casting Eugene and giving him a bigger role than what his role came to be down the road gone. I didn’t like how they exempted him. He could’ve been a good additive. He could’ve been there to give Heath a run for his money. Sandy.
Wow! I am so excited for the movie. I think Susan Sarandon is a great fill-in for the great Barbara Stanwyck. I am overly happy that Lee Majors will be in the movie and I hope the others (who are still w/us) will be able to be in the movie. When I was a kid me and my girlfriend use to watch the repeats(to young to have watch when it first came out) and we were addicted to it!! anyway I am so looking forward to the movie. P.S. I hope they find someone who, for the part of Heath, who can walk as sexy as Lee majors did.