Sumith Prasad
Apple TV+’s legal thriller series ‘Presumed Innocent’ is David E. Kelley’s reimagining of Scott Turow’s 1987 novel of the same name. The show revolves around Rusty Sabich, a Chicago-based prosecutor who gets accused of killing his colleague and former partner, Carolyn Polhemus. Nearly two and a half decades ago, Alan J. Pakula’s adaptation of the novel came out with Harrison Ford portraying the prosecutor. The actor’s performance was lauded by critics and audiences alike. However, when it comes to the modern retelling of the courtroom drama, we may not need to expect Ford as the intricate lawyer!
Jake Gyllenhaal Replaces Harrison Ford as Rusty Sabich
Harrison Ford is not a part of the cast of Apple TV+’s ‘Presumed Innocent.’ David E. Kelley and his team made the miniseries without any connection to Alan J. Pakula’s film of the same name. The creator used Scott Turow’s novel as the source material and went on to make several creative changes to craft his show, which is not a sequel, prequel, or remake of Ford’s film. Furthermore, as an octogenarian, Ford is obviously not the right fit to play the protagonist, who is seemingly in his 40s, just like the actor who plays him, Jake Gyllenhaal.
Even though Ford doesn’t show up in the legal thriller, Kelley acknowledged the work the actor did in Pakula’s film adaptation of the source novel. “I thought Harrison Ford did a fantastic job in the movie, and I think Jake [Gyllenhaal] is brilliant inhabiting all these contradictions in the series,” the creator told TVLine. He also admires the 1990 film. “I also love the [1990] movie, but because it’s only two-and-a-half hours, it couldn’t really delve into the character pathology that we had the opportunity to do with the miniseries,” Kelley added.
Even though Ford’s performance as Rusty Sabich is highly acclaimed, Gyllenhaal portrays the character inspired by Paul Newman, his godfather and an Academy Award-winner whose popular films include ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ and ‘Cool Hand Luke.’ Gyllenhaal’s character tucks his glasses midway down a buttoned shirt like Newman. “He also wore them hanging from his ear and stuff like that,” the actor told The Hollywood Reporter. Despite offering his own interpretation of Rusty Sabich in the legal drama, Gyllenhaal is aware that there will be comparisons between his and Ford’s performances.
“I come from a theater where actors play other actors’ roles or vice versa. The role exists, and then you come in, and you play it. So it’s very funny to me to have even the comparison, though I know it’s probably inevitable to me,” Gyllenhaal told GamesRadar+. This is not the first time the actor has donned the apparel of an acting legend. His latest feature film, ‘Road House,’ is a remake of Patrick Swayze’s movie of the same name. Despite the pressure, Gyllenhaal continues to deliver performances that are distinctive, which makes the actor believe that there is no room for comparisons.
“[Rusty] was a character written by David E. Kelley and so is very much a character in his mind. I just happen to play another character. And the last movie I did where Patrick Swayze played [that character]… it’s incomparable. We’re talking about legends and people who originated characters that we love,” Gyllenhaal added.
Read More: Are Nico Della Guardia and Tommy Molto Inspired by Real Chicago Prosecutors?
