Paul Schrader is having a great time at Cannes, where the screenwriter/director is showcasing his latest film, ‘Oh, Canada‘. Speaking with IndieWire, Schrader revisited the pitch for a sequel to his seminal film with Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, Taxi Driver.
Robert De Niro had pitched an idea to Martin Scorsese and Paul Schrader, one that was immediately shot down. Schrader talked about how De Niro’s decisions were sometimes colored with the prospect of financial gains, which he opined could have also been the reason that De Niro wanted to make a sequel to the film.
Robert De Niro’s pitch for Taxi Driver 2 was the ‘worst f*cking idea’ Paul Schrader had ever heard
Paul Schrader talked to IndieWire about how the pitch for the sequel came about, and what his ideas for the sequel were. What Robert De Niro had pitched to Martin Scorsese was categorically not up Schrader’s alley. When asked about the pitch that De Niro brought forward, Paul Schrader said:
Now, I don’t want to slag De Niro, but a lot of his decisions sometimes have financial motivations. I’m sure someone had said to him, “You know, if you do ‘Taxi Driver 2,’ they can pay.” So he pressed Marty on it and Marty asked me and I said, “Marty, that’s the worst fucking idea I’ve ever heard”
While the idea that was presented to Schrader was horrible, the screenwriter did entertain the idea of a sequel and thought about how it would look. Schrader went on to reveal what ideas he had in mind for a sequel, and where he saw the characters going after the events of Taxi Driver.
Paul Schrader had a more exciting idea for a Taxi Driver sequel
Paul Schrader had some interesting ideas about the Taxi Driver sequel. He talked about his idea and how it took inspiration from Ted Kaczynski, otherwise known as the Unabomber. He revealed:
Maybe he became Ted Kaczynski and maybe he’s in a cabin somewhere and just sitting there, making letter bombs. Now, that would be cool. That would be a nice Travis. He doesn’t have a cab anymore. He just sits there [laughs] making letter bombs.” But Bob didn’t cotton to that idea, either.
While Robert De Niro did not warm up to the idea, IndieWire reported that De Niro, as late as 2018, still thought about what his character from the film, Travis Bickle, was up to.
While this might not come to fruition anytime soon, the fact that it’s an active thought in De Niro’s head could signal a revisiting of the material in the future. However, it would perhaps be for the best if Taxi Driver is left alone as the masterpiece it is.
