High Noon to be rebooted for film and TV by the producers of Godzilla Vs Kong and John Wick

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The classic 1952 western High Noon is to be revived for a new era of film and TV, with Godzilla Vs Kong’s Thomas Tull among its producers. With a stoic performance from Gary Cooper and an unforgettable title track, High Noon is one of the great American westerns. And now the 1952 classic is about ... High Noon to be rebooted for film and TV by the producers of Godzilla Vs Kong and John Wick

The classic 1952 western High Noon is to be revived for a new era of film and TV, with Godzilla Vs Kong’s Thomas Tull among its producers.

With a stoic performance from Gary Cooper and an unforgettable title track, High Noon is one of the great American westerns. And now the 1952 classic is about to be remade, or rebooted, or something, by a quite fascinating conglomerate of producers and businesses.

The rights were previously kept under tight control by Karen Sharpe-Kramer, wife of High Noon’s now departed producer, Stanley Kramer. As reported by Deadline, a deal has now been struck between Sharpe-Kramer and other people in control of the rights – and now a new High Noon film and spin-off TV series is in the planning stages.

That deal was made by Teton Ridge Entertainment, the company founded by billionaire producer Thomas Tull. You may have seen his name on the credits of any number of expensive comic book movies, comedies and action flicks, including The Hangover trilogy, Man Of Steel, Jurassic World, Pacific Rim, and all those Monsterverse entries, from 2014’s Godzilla to the upcoming Godzilla X Kong: Supernova.

Teton Ridge will handle the TV side of things, apparently, while the film will be worked up at Thunder Road Pictures under producers Erica Lee and Basil Iwanyk. Yes, one of the greatest westerns ever made is about to be reimagined by the firm that brought us the John Wick movies. Blimey.

“High Noon is essential to the American western,” said Teton Ridge president Jillian Share, “and one of the rare films that holds up this cleanly seventy-four years later. Our job now is to honour what makes the original endure and to build something that speaks to where we are.”

We do like it when classic films hold up cleanly. In her own statement, Sharpe-Kramer expressed her belief that High Noon had been placed in the right hands.

“Over the years, I’ve received many offers for High Noon, but I’ve waited for a partner that truly understands its legacy, values, and eternal themes,” said Sharpe-Kramer. “My husband believed in the power of stories to challenge us to stand up for what’s right. Teton Ridge Entertainment shares that belief and recognises that this story is as relevant today as it was in 1952.

“I have tremendous respect for how they are breathing new life into the Western, a genre that sits at the very foundation of American storytelling. I’m excited to work with them as a creative collaborator to help bring this timeless story to a new generation.”

High Noon is prized as a thematically rich western about selflessness and moral courage, and possibly an allegory about the anti-Communist witch hunts going on in the 1950s. Will the new High Noon retain all that? Who can replace Gary Cooper? And how much should we bet on the new film containing an extended scene in a gaudily-lit night club?

We’ll bring you answers to these questions and more as we get them.