James Mangold, currently basking in far too much adulation for the merely good Walk the Line, may have received the inspiration for his next film from one of Johnny Cash’s albums, Johnny Cash Sings the Ballads of the True West – he’s remaking the classic western 3:10 to Yuma.
The original is very High Noon-ian (as opposed to Khan Noonian (Singh)), with tons of Van Hefliny goodness. An outlaw, played by Glenn Ford, is scheduled to be hung, and a rancher is talked into transporting him, on the titular train, to his doom. But as they wait in a hotel for their ride, it becomes apparent that the outlaw’s gang won’t let him go quietly into that night.
Collateral’s Stuart Beattie has done the latest version of the script, which is what convinced Mangold to sign on. Production should begin this summer. How this will effect the Method Man/Redman vehicle 4:20 to Yuma remains to be seen.
By the way, I actually doubt that Johnny Cash Sings the Ballads of the True West swayed Mangold one way or another, as he worked very hard to keep Cash as far from his country roots in Walk the Line as possible, only focusing on crossover songs.