Nordling here.
Warren Beatty's DICK TRACY, I think, has grown in estimation over the years. Released in 1990, it was an antithesis to the previous year's Tim Burton BATMAN film - while the former was gothic and dark, Beatty's DICK TRACY actually felt like it was from a comic book, or the Sunday paper spread. Richard Sylbert's amazing art direction is still jawdropping even today. With its bright colors and cartoonish villains, Beatty actually did a fine job directing as well as playing the square jawed hero, who can fight crime without a blink of an eye but can still lock up around his true love, Tess Trueheart. The film harkens back to a simpler time, and I'd say the one real flaw in it was Madonna, who just didn't have the skills or screen presence to pull off the dialogue. But other than that miscast, the film still works.
And now, according to Deadline, his longstanding suit with the original rightsholders of the comic, Tribune Co, has been settled in a summary judgment that gives film rights to the character back to Beatty. He's struggled for a few years to keep those rights, and the only reason that comes to mind why is that he might return back to the comic and make another DICK TRACY film. He's 74 now, and too old for the part, but that shouldn't keep him from directing or producing another DICK TRACY. And now that he's clearly established himself as the rights holder, he's free to do what he likes with it.
It's a cynical time right now. I think upcoming films like CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER are going to do amazing business because I think people are tired of cynical and they want heroes they can believe in. DICK TRACY is one of those kind of films, and I'd love to see Warren Beatty return to filmmaking regardless. He's still one of our best actor/directors and with the glut of comic book movies right now, 21 years later DICK TRACY still holds up. I'd love to see that world realized onscreen again.
Nordling, out.
