"We talk about it"- When Robert De Niro discussed the possibility of a Taxi Driver sequel

Robert De Niro, is one of the, greatest actors of his time, if not of all time. At 81, the actor has pretty much achieved everything there is to achieve- from commercial fame to critical acclaim to a legacy that will never be replaced. He has also been held in high regard over the years, thanks to his personality and depth.

One of the most famous roles that the veteran actor has ever touched was that of Travis Bickle, a character that has been cemented in the history books, and one that will be recalled forever by film enthusiasts.

In this era of reproduction, rejuvenation, and reboots, of course, there were questions about Taxi Driver getting something more than that one 1976 classic. In a surprise revelation from an interview in 2019, Robert De Niro revealed that he had indeed discussed this with the makers of the movie, Martin Scorsese and Paul Schrader, only to come to the conclusion that this may not be the best move.

In the 2019 interview with GQ Magazine, De Niro said:

"No. We talk about it, me and Marty [Scorsese] and Paul Schrader [the original screenwriter], and Paul took a shot at it, but it just didn’t seem to work. It seems in theory that there’s something you could come up with that would be interesting, but it just… you know, we’ll see."

He further added:

"There’s no point doing it unless it was special and makes a comment on the times and adds to what that movie was."

In the same interview De Niro also compared Travis Bickle's character to the racist mass shooters in America.

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Why Robert De Niro's Taxi Driver is better left untouched

It is true that the political context of Taxi Driver is still more than relevant now, and the character of Travis Bickle will also be relatable and relevant for most viewers now. However, as we have seen many reboots destroying what was originally built years ago, the same could happen to the iconic Martin Scorsese movie and the iconic Robert De Niro character.

Given how Taxi Driver concluded, it is perhaps unwise to bring back the movie and the character and give it a new context. The only way it could perhaps work is through a reboot but as the movie continues to be relevant and in trend, it would be unwise to tinker with it.

Taxi Driver falls in line with many great films that define a generation, like Pulp Fiction, The Godfather, and Scarface, ideally none of which should have a reboot or sequel now.

So despite his political views, which often bring on the wrath of a majority of Americans, Robert De Niro will steer clear of making another Taxi Driver.

The actor, however, is far from done. After his latest collaboration with Martin Scorsese in 2023 for Killers of the Flower Moon, Robert De Niro has appeared in a couple more movies.

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Later this year, he is all set to appear in Alto Knights, a movie by Barry Levinson, where De Niro is set to portray two characters. The first trailer for Alto Knights is out now.