Earlier this year, a rumor that Zendaya was being eyed for the lead role in a remake of The Fugitive circulated online. The source had a spotty track record, but it looks like they may have been on the level with this one.
According to Daniel Richtman, the Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Dune star has now been offered the part, and David Keith(?) is on board to direct for Warner Bros.
The Fugitive began as a '60s TV series before being rebooted for the big screen in 1993, with Harrison Ford taking on the role of Richard Kimble, who goes on the run after being wrongly accused of murdering his wife. Tommy Lee Jones also starred as the US Marshal leading the hunt for Kimble, and ended up winning the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance.
Zendaya is fast becoming one of the most prolific and highly sought-after young actors in Hollywood. In addition to reprising the role of MJ in Brand New Day, she will return as Chani in Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Three, and is also set to play the Goddess Athena in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey.
If she does sign on to star in The Fugitive, we assume she will play a new character and not a gender-switched take on Kimble.
During a recent interview with Elle.com, Zendaya revealed that she looks for opportunities that would allow her to challenge herself as an actress.
“I am drawn to complicated characters who I have to earn the audience’s empathy and trust for,” she said. “I want to expand the roles someone like me is allowed to do, or can do. As a Black woman, what I can do as an actress?"
Richtman has also heard that Star Trek: Starfleet Academy actress Kerrice Brooks has been cast in The Daniels' next movie, which has been described as "a time-travel superhero movie where global warming is the main villain."
Matt Damon is already on board, and Emma Stone is rumored to be in talks (you'll find more details here).
"Wrongfully accused of murdering his wife, Richard Kimble escapes from the law in an attempt to find her killer and clear his name. Pursuing him is a team of U.S. marshals led by Deputy Samuel Gerard, a determined detective who will not rest until Richard is captured. As Richard leads the team through a series of intricate chases, he discovers the secrets behind his wife's death and struggles to expose the killer before it is too late."