Redford and Newman: Together Again on the Big Screen?

Millions of movie lovers have been waiting 30 years for a sequel to "The Sting," where Paul Newman and Robert Redford charmed viewers with their portrayals of a young con man and a master con man teaming up to win a big fortune from a criminal banker who murdered the young man’s partner. Redford and Newman were an electric presence on screen together, having hit it big in their initial pairing in the 1969 hit "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," about two bank robbers who fled to Bolivia to escape the law. So after "The Sting," the world waited breathlessly to see what their next joint project would be. But as the years went by, the hope of them reuniting slowly faded, and now the idea is rarely mentioned.

Until now, that is. In New York to promote his new film, "An Unfinished Life," Redford told reporters that the two may be planning just such a reunion on the big screen. "All these years went by and nobody came up with any ideas that were anything but corny and kind of low grade, so we just decided probably that wasn't going to happen," the 68-year old Redford said. "But now there's something rolling around that we're talking about, and the real question is whether he can remember his lines or not," he added with his trademark sardonic grin, poking fun at Newman, who turned 80 this year. Media reports have speculated that the two legendary actors would pair up soon in a screen adaptation of "A Walk in the Woods," the story of Bill Bryson’s hike through the American wilderness with a friend.

Redford refused to add credence to the rumors, telling reports instead that he is superstitious about giving away information about projects that have not been finalized. "I think Paul and I are probably alike in that we're reluctant to talk about something that is not real yet, but we are talking about it." Redford himself acknowledged that it was surprising the two haven’t made another movie together, given Hollywood’s love of remakes and sequels. In fact there was a sequel to "The Sting," filmed in 1983 with different actors reprising the roles of Redford and Newman, and a prequel to "Butch Cassidy" was filmed several years after the original, also with neither Redford nor Newman involved. The pair wisely declined to contribute to any follow-ups that would tarnish the brilliance of the original films, although they have been approached with other projects. But none of the material that has come their way in the years since their two blockbusters has even been worth considering. "The stuff that came to us wasn't any good," Redford said. "(They said), 'Can you do a sequel to "The Sting"?' No, leave that one alone ... don't try to milk it.’" 'What about a sequel to "Butch Cassidy"?' Well, the guys died in it, what is it going to be, a spiritual film? 'Well, how about a prequel?' That's pretty desperate."