Last year, Avengers: Age of Ultron star Mark Ruffalo made headlines when he and screenwriter Gary Whitta (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) started talking about a possible big screen Columbo reboot starring the actor. Originally played by Peter Falk on the small screen, the classic police drama is as beloved now as it was when it originally aired, and the prospect of Ruffalo taking over the role was met with an overwhelmingly positive response.
Talking at the UK premiere of Spotlight today, the actor revealed just how close a Columbo movie has come to being a reality in the months which have followed.
“Nothing’s happening with it. Gary Whitta sort of started that online and it’s taken a life of its own. It would be fun to do, but I think some people reached out to, I think Universal has the rights, and they just didn’t seem that interested.”
It doesn’t sound good then, but Ruffalo remained positive when asked how interested he would actually be in starring in a movie featuring the iconic detective.
“Are you freaking kidding me? It’s one of my favourites. Peter Falk is amazing. He did great stuff with that.”
As for whether he would want to play a new character set in the same world or actually take over as Columbo, Ruffalo said:
“I don’t know, I think it has a lot to do with the tone they take with it. It would be fun to do a version of that guy.”
If fans on social media continue to make their interest in this clear, it’s certainly possible that Columbo could become a reality, but it doesn’t sound all that likely right now in all honesty. Still, with Ruffalo about to take on a leading role in Thor: Ragnarok, Universal may just change their mind when that presumably ends up being a huge box office hit. We’ll just have to wait and see.
