Angel & the Badman Remake

As unlikely as it seems, a remake of the very terrific John Wayne Oater, Angel and the Badman, is due out in 2009, starring Lou Diamond Phillips (Young Guns) in the Duke’s chaps. In fact, the picture is already in post-production, with a release date forthcoming.

Angel and the Badman, the original 1947 Republic Picture, was the first movie produced by John Wayne, and it costarred Gail Russell as Penelope, the woman who heals the wounded Quirt Evans (Wayne) and turns him from bad guy to good guy. Harry Carey Sr. had a terrific part as Marshal Wistful McClintock, and Bruce Cabot was Laredo, the object of Quirt’s revenge.

The new picture seems to have misplaced Marshal McClintock altogether. Besides Phillips, the others casted are Luke Perry (8 Seconds) as Laredo and Deborah Kara Unger as a woman named Temperance, who, we have to assume, is the Penelope role. Considering her long and lively history in many R-rated films, it will be interesting to see how Unger manages the role.

James Edward Grant wrote and directed the earlier movie. He had a long history with Wayne, scripting more than a dozen of the Duke’s pictures, including the adaptation of Louis L’Amour’s Hondo (1953). It just so happens there’s a character named Hondo in this new version, though it’s unlikely there’s any connection to the earlier character. Wayne’s presence will still be felt; included in the cast is Brendan Wayne, John Wayne’s grandson.