Charles Grodin may reteam with Robert De Niro for MIDNIGHT RUN 2
Charles Grodin is definitely one of those actors that has left a lot of us asking, "What happened to that guy?" We've loved him in the BEETHOVEN movies, THE GREAT MUPPET CAPER, SO I MARRIED AN AXE MURDERER, CLIFFORD, and MIDNIGHT RUN to name a handful. The list really goes on and on with this guy. We haven't seen much of Grodin since the mid-90s.
Rumor has it that he left acting after his son started school, determined not to be an absentee father. Which is a pretty honorable thing to do and practically unheard of these days. It appears Grodin is looking to get back into acting (but only on his terms). Most recently he had a role in Zach Braff's 2006's film THE EX but that's not nearly enough screen time to make up for his over a decade long absence from cinema in my opinion.
According to Deadline, Grodin could be reprising one of his most notable roles. Deadline reports Grodin is being courted to reprise his role as Jonathan "The Duke" Mardukas for the sequel to 1988's MIDNIGHT RUN. The site also reports that they are trying to get director Martin Brest on board as well. Brest hasn't directed since 2003's GIGLI.
The original plan for the sequel was only to bring back Robert De Niro’s bounty hunter character, Jack Walsh. Walsh would go through the same sort of intense shenanigans that he did with the The Duke but this time with The Duke's son. Now it appears that the plan is to bring both De Niro and Grodin back and Grodin is considering it.
It could be an uphill battle to get Grodin officially attached to MIDNIGHT RUN 2. Grodin is not willing to travel very far from his home for acting jobs these days. Grodin told Deadline, "I just turned down the new Muppet movie. I was in THE GREAT MUPPET CAPER and I think they are bringing back those of us still alive for a reprise. Jim Henson was dear to me but I’m not flying 6000 miles to Los Angeles to work one day."
You really have to admire a man that sticks to his guns despite the allure of fortune and fame. Grodin has spent the past years advocating for poor, first-time offenders hit with impossible prison sentences because of mandatory sentencing laws. Not content to do nothing with his life, Grodin had this to say of his MIDNIGHT RUN experience:
"What I remember is there were 18 locations, including New Zealand, and for me, it isn't so much the acting as it is the travel and the waiting. I started in movies in 1963 and the first big one was ROSEMARY'S BABY in 1967. While you don't notice it right away, it finally dawns on you that 80% of the time, you're doing nothing."
The script of MIDNIGHT RUN is still being written by scribe Tim Dowling. Hopefully it will include a part for Grodin, but that all depends on him I suppose.
Source: Deadline
Other articles that you might like:
Commenting Rules: Comments are intended to open up the discussion to our readers about the topics at hand, and as such should be offered with a positive and constructive attitude. If your comment is not relative to the above post or is disrespectful to the authors and readers, we reserve the right to delete it. Continued abuse of our good nature will result in banishment of the offender. Additionally, if you have any burning issues to point out to the GATW crew - typos, corrections, suggestions, or straight-up criticism - please email us instead of commenting here.