And I hate to be pessimistic, but, with the instant gratification of the new social media, and the new world order, I don't see any way of it ever happening again ! :frown:
SJD
I think that a A-list movie about life, that happens to have a pool player along for the ride could still work wonders for the game and give it another shot in the arm like TH and TCOM did.
The movie that needs to be made should follow the life of a pool player through the various era's. It should be a movie that tracks through time and events much like Forrest Gump, Blow, Boogie Nights, and other movies track through time and show different era's and changing landscapes and society. Pool itself remained a relative constant in many ways through the various eras and would create a very unique persepective to see the course of history from say 1940 through to the 21st century. The movie should follow a pool player, but it should not be about pool.
It should be about life, the changes within America and how it affected the character, how it affected their life not only as a pool player, but as an American who lived through an era in which America saw many changes to it's society. Weave in the times in history into the story, I am sure there are more then a few young and great pool players who had alot of potential and skill who were drafted into the Vietnam War and never came back. Show how the civil rights movement affected society and the black pool players of that era through the eyes of the main character. Show the changes in drugs and drug use through the eras and how it was represented in the pool world. Show the rise of Vegas into the golden age and the Rat Pack era and how pool players worked within that world such as the well known story about one pool player who bet his entire life savings on a single sports bet.
The movie should not focus on pool, pool should simply be the background to the story that is told.
The director and writing of the movie would be key. It is funny that Scorsese did TCOM because his ability to shift through time in movies like Casino and to a lesser extent Good Fellas makes him one of the better directors for a new pool movie. I also think David Fincher could do an excellent job if given a proper script.
The actor is also critical, you need someone A-list that has tremendous charsima. Someone like Robert Downey Jr could make an interesting pool player, Dicaprio would obviously be good with the right script, Using a younger actor for the early years and then doing a time shift to an older actor could allow someone like Daniel Day Lewis to be the main character and someone like him could be outstanding.
!..No telling where pool would be now, if not for "the Hustler" and to a lesser degree.."TCOM". The Hustler, was a 'perfect storm' for pool !.. It caught three fine actors,(Newman,Gleason and Scott) and a director, all at the peak of their careers !.. The story/movie Tevis wrote, had amazing popular appeal, to people who didn't know a '5 ball from an orange'....It was more about reality, and lifes 'hard lessons' !..Pool was (fortunately) just along for the ride. Much like boxing was for DeNero's classic, "The Raging Bull".