Warren Beatty Just Made One of the Weirdest Sequels Ever

In this period of comic-book films, reboots, and IP, a brand new Dick Tracy looks as if a can’t-miss mission. The unique movie, directed by and starring Warren Beatty, grew to become a serious hit in 1990, grossing over $100 million in the U.S. alone. And but a sequel by no means materialized.

Well, would you accept a 30-minute TV particular the place Warren Beatty talks to himself as Dick Tracy over a Zoom name?

That is actually what aired tonight on TCM. In Dick Tracy Special: Tracy Zooms In, TCM host Ben Mankiewicz invitations movie critic Leonard Maltin over to his workplace as he prepares for a Zoom name with the well-known cartoon and film cop, Dick Tracy. Tracy (Beatty) calls Mankiewicz and Maltin on Zoom — Beatty is seated in a black void whereas carrying Tracy’s trademark yellow hat and overcoat — first to go with Mankiewicz on an interview he did with Beatty for TCM a while earlier. Then “Dick Tracy” explains his points with the film Beatty made about him in 1990, whereas he watches clips from the movie. An excellent 5 minutes of this 30 minute present have been actually simply Warren Beatty dressed as Dick Tracy watching the Dick Tracy film whereas muttering issues like “Yes! Yes, that’s good!” and “No! No! That’s terrible!”

Maltin’s presence isn’t as random as it could seem. In 2008, Maltin had interviewed the “real” Dick Tracy (Beatty as soon as once more) for a primary Dick Tracy Special on TCM. This first particular lives on on YouTube, and it’s virtually as bizarre as this new present.

2023’s Tracy Zooms In particular builds to Maltin including the “real” Warren Beatty to the Zoom name, and — as Mankiewicz and Maltin look on in disbelief — the two Beattys get right into a rambling debate about the Dick Tracy film and moviemaking on the whole.

It‘s worth noting that through all of this, Mankiewicz and Maltin barely say a word. After facilitating this call, they are less participants in it than bewildered observers. This image of their side of the “conversation” sums up the vibe of this entire project.

Eventually, Dick Tracy and Beatty bury the hatchet and agree to meet for lunch to discuss the possibility of a new Dick Tracy film. That leads to the final shot (seen above) with the two sharing a meal and a single frame together, an image that suggests a new alternative to the played-out Spider-Man pointing at Spider-Man meme.

So what the hell was that all about? You can go to the Dick Tracy Wikipedia page to find out; the section titled “Possible sequel, legal issues and reboot” contains nine paragraphs and almost 1,000 words on the subject. In short(ish): In the 1980s, Beatty had bought the rights to make Dick Tracy movies directly from Tribune, the owners of the original comic strip. Then he brought his rights to Disney, where he made his Dick Tracy movie.

For a variety of reasons, he was never able to get a sequel off the ground, and eventually Tribune tried to reclaim their rights so they could try to make their own Dick Tracy films or TV shows — at which point Beatty claimed they were trying to breach their deal and filed suit. 

In the legal battle that followed, Tribune claimed that per the original contract after a “certain period of time” without a new Dick Tracy movie, series, or special, they’d get their rights again. According to a Reuters report on the final result of the case (which Beatty received), in 2006, Tribune set Beatty a letter “that gave him two years to begin production on Dick Tracy programming.”

And so, in 2008, Beatty made the first Dick Tracy Special that’s embedded above. The choose in that case discovered that “Beatty’s commencement of principal photography of his television special on November 8, 2008 was sufficient for him to retain the Dick Tracy rights.”

I do not know if one other “certain period of time” handed, or if somebody despatched the now 85-year-old Beatty one other letter. All I do know is I simply watched Warren Beatty take Dick Tracy to lunch at the Polo Lounge, and I’ll by no means be the identical once more.