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You would think that the ending to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid would make sequels fairly difficult unless they involved supernatural resurrection or the revelation that the banditos were impervious to the weapons of the Mexican army.  But The Independent reports [via The AV Club] that a sequel called Blackthorn is underway and somehow Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) managed to survive hundreds of bullets but the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford) was not as fortunate.

Now, Cassidy (who will be played by Sam Shepherd) is doing what all old criminals do: go in for one last heist.  Of course, in the original, Butch and Sundance didn't stage heists as much as they either blew stuff up or just robbed tellers at point blank.  Oscar-winning writer Mateo Gil (The Sea Inside) will make his directorial debut from his own script.  Gil describes Cassidy as, "that tired and lonely old man who, for an instant, recovers all his energy and dreams due to someone who seems to reincarnate the past, his old friends and ideals"."  You mean Up?  Because that was an adventure movie that kind of already did that and did so by not glomming on to a classic movie.

Hit the jump for more on what Gil had to say (and not say) about Blackthorn.

Gil did not explain how Cassidy survived the shootout, but said that the film will be shot on location in Bolivia and in the style of the classic Western.  Says Gil, "The characters face life and death, and other very important matters (freedom, commitment and loyalty, courage, treachery, ownership and money, justice, friendship and even love) in very pure and simple terms."  No word if he then added, "...and all that good stuff."

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