CommanderBond.net
  1. Michael G. Wilson Comments On 'Chitty' Remake Possibilities

    By Devin Zydel on 2008-09-21
    Producer Michael G. Wilson

    Producer Michael G. Wilson

    Back in March of this year, news emerged that a remake of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the classic adventure featuring a magical flying car and created by James Bond author Ian Fleming, was being discussed.

    Now, Michael G. Wilson, who produces the 007 films along with Barbara Broccoli and co-owns the rights to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, has commented on the news. ‘There may be a new film of Chitty, we will have to see,’ he told the Sunday Telegraph.

    In the March ’08 article, an unnamed Eon Productions executive stated that the remake, which would likely go into production in 2009, would feature ‘big-name stars, a multi-million pound budget and cutting-edge special effects’. Johnny Depp’s name was brought up as a possibility.

    The original Chitty Chitty Bang Bang debuted in theatres in 1968, starring Dick Van Dyke, Sally Ann Howes and Lionel Jeffries.

    Produced by Albert R. Broccoli, the production also featured several cast and crew members from the Bond films, including actors Gert Fröbe, Desmond Llewelyn, a screenwriters Richard Maibaum and Roald Dahl, associate producer Stanley Sopel, production designer Ken Adam, art director Harry Pottle, and many others.

    Barbara Broccoli then launched a stage performance version that ran from 2002 to 2005 at the London Palladium and became a massive hit, earning more than &pound70 million.

    ‘I wasn’t surprised by the success of the show because so many people came up to me and said they had the original video,’ she stated.

    ‘In Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Fleming created some perennial characters. The car and the whole idea of flight is something that appeals to kids of all ages. The show was wonderful. The number of grown men who were reduced to tears at the sight of that flying car was amazing to me.’

    CommanderBond.net will keep you updated as more information regarding this Chitty Chitty Bang Bang remake becomes available.

    Stay tuned to the CBn main page for all the latest James Bond-related news.