"White Lightning" redux.....again.....

After "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" won Oscars buzz has come around again to Quentin Tarantino possibly doing a remake of "White Lightning" which is one of his favorite action flicks.  I've touched on this before, but it's worth re-visiting. It's always risky to redo a "Cult Classic". I hated the "Cape Fear" remake. Fake Tattoos and bad fake southern accent, Robert DeNiro was not 1/10 as scary as Robert Mitchum. DeNiro's Max Cady even admitted to being someone's bitch in prison to Nick Nolte's Sam Bowden. Mitchum's Cady ran the prison.  Ditto for the True Grit redux. You can't top John Wayne. I thought Jeff Bridges portrayal made Rooster Cogburn look like a homeless drunk. And the girl looked half-black or Latino. In the 1880's She couldn't have gotten away with the crap that blue-eyed Kim Darby did in the original.  I hated the "Mechanic" remake with Jason Statham. Again-you can't top Charles Bronson playing a badass.  In the original Steve McKenna and Arthur Bishop kill each other. Of course in the remake they make it look like Arthur Bishop survived-of course to leave room for a sequel. And they did make a sequel which was awful. Even Jessica Alba barefoot in a bikini most of the movie couldn't save it. Anyhow-back to "Lightning". If anyone can pull it off, QT can. 2 things he needs to be careful on. # 1. Time Period. With Marijuana now legal in most states, no one's going to care about untaxed liquor. It's going to have to be set in the 1960's. Which is ok, then he can use classic musclecars in the chase scenes-necessarry because modern cars banged around like that-the airbags would trigger, the fuel pumps shut off, etc. Further-he could touch on the civil rights movement in the south, Gator's brother could have been killed at a civil rights protest or an anti-Viet Nam war protest. Sheriff J.C. Connors and "Big Bear" could also have been into drugs, illegal gambling and prostitution, as well as whisky running. Gator could be a Viet Nam vet.  # 2. Casting. Gator has to be a country boy. That leaves out Mark Wahlberg, Jason Statham, Bradley Cooper, Leonardo DiCaprio, Hugh Jackman. I'd vote for Brad Pitt. His portrayal of evil cracker "Early Grace" in "Kalifornia" was masterful. He'd be excellent as "Gator". Matthew McConaughey could do it as well. His evil cracker "Mud" was masterful, and so was "Killer Joe" where he played a corrupt Texas lawman / hitman. And I know QT has had success casting black actors in traditionally white roles-"Jackie Brown"-Pam Grier did great-but in the Elmore Leonard novel "Rum Punch" on which the movie was based-"Jackie Burke" was a glorious California blonde. That didn't matter. But in the '60's in Arkansas-Gator has to be a white man. A black man pulling the shit that Gator pulls-wouldn't fly. So that leaves out Sam Jackson, Jamie Foxx, Denzel Washington, Will Smith, etc.  Don Johnson would be awesome as J.C. Connors. Sam Elliot would be great as "Big Bear". So would Bruce Willis-and QT likes him.  For the immortal "Shake-a-Puddin"- Jennifer Billingsley's bravura performance is going to be hard to match. Barefoot in that skimpy sundress the whole movie, her brown roots showing in her bleach-blond hair she just oozed sex. When she runs her bare foot up Gator's bicep and says "What you thinking about?" and he says "Shake a Puddin" and she says "You want to try some?" Like Wayne's World-"Schwing!!" And doubtless QT will love the scene on the dock where she feeds Gator breakfast and we get an extreme close-up of her very dirty soles. She doesn't even get mad when Gator sets her for rape to excape "Big Bear's" henchmen. She drives the wounded Gator to safety at the home for unwed mothers -I'd go with Pam Anderson. She's got the smokin bod, gorgeous feet, and the attitude to pull it off.  Margot Robbie who was excellent in "Hollywood" I'm sure would be on QT's list. Jeri Ryan-"Seven of Nine" on Star Trek would be awesome-her body is more amazing than Pam's or Margot's.  Elizabeth Banks could do it. But again "Shake a Puddin" has to be a blonde, "Trailer Park Barbie". That leaves out ethnic beauties like Salma Hayek, Eva Longoria, Rosario Dawson, etc. The girl with the baby at the home-could be Gator's brother's girlfriend, and the baby Gator's nephew. She could have witnessed the killing-spurring Gator to avenge his brother by killing the sheriff. It could fly-I'd like to see it. Let's hope there's enough "buzz" that he gets motivated. Mastermind