Richard Dreyfuss Says JAWS Should Get a CGI Shark Makeover and Re-Release
Jaws is one of my favorite films of all time. It’s a movie that I never get tired of watching no matter how many times I’ve seen it. I even love the dysfunctional clunky animatronic shark that was used in the film, Bruce. That shark is all part of the film’s charm.
But, Jaws star Richard Dreyfuss would like to see the Bruce replaced in the film with a CGI version of the shark, and a re-release in theaters. This is what he had to say to say in an interview with Deadline:
“I think they should do it, it would be huge and it would open up the film to younger people. Is that blasphemy? No, no, I don’t think so. The technology now could make the shark look as good as the rest of the movie.”
I get what he’s saying, but at the same time there’s really no point. It’d be like pulling a George Lucas when he went back to upgrade all the special effects in his original Star Wars movies.
Yeah, I’m sure that Steven Spielberg would have loved to today’s technology to make Jaws back in the day. The mechanical shark they used was plagued with countless malfunctions which led to the film running over budget and over schedule. There was also a lot of footage of the shark that was completely unusable.
It’s all of these things, along with Spielberg’s resourcefulness and cinematic instincts that led to the incredible film that he ended up making and it became Hollywood’s first big blockbuster summer movie. When addressing the fans, like myself, who say Jaws is perfect the way it is, Dreyfuss said:
“There are people who say Jaws is a perfect film otherwise and it is amazing what Steven accomplished with the challenges he had. But you’re dead-right, I think you’re on to something. They should put the money in to CGI [to replace] that beast and make it come alive.”
What do you think about Dreyfuss’ comments? Would you want to see the film updated with a CGI shark?