Bullitt car chase remade
Steve McQueen's famous dash around San Francisco streets to be recreated for popular TV series Alcatraz.
Bullitt car chase remade
Arguably the most iconic and adrenaline-pumping car chase of all-time is set to be recreated for the high-rating television series, Alcatraz.
A recreation of the car chase from 1968 Steve McQueen film Bullitt was filmed last week on the steep, stepped streets of San Francisco. The chase even stayed relatively true to the cars used in Bullitt - modern day versions of a Dodge Charger and Ford Mustang were used, while a mint-condition 1960s VW Beetle also appears.
San Francisco news site KVTU.com spoke to one of the stunt drivers, Jack Gill, who said the aim was to take the Bullitt chase and attempt to make it even more spectacular.
"We're just trying to recreate every single shot and add some more ... a lot of sliding around the corners, a lot of getting close to things," Gill told the network. "It's really easy to drive around slow, but when they say come around it at 70 miles an hour (112km/h), it's a little different." said Gill.
Director Jack Bender said it was "fun" to film on some of the streets that the Bullitt chase was shot.
Lead actress Sarah Jones, who plays detective Rebecca Madsen in the television series, told KVTU.com she felt honoured to be a part of the recreation of the scene, even if a stunt double sits in her seat during the actual chase.
"But no one can fill Steve McQueen's shoes," Jones said.
It's not the first nod to Bullitt seen in the show. In most other episodes, the lead actress drives a 1968 Mustang in the same colour McQueen drove in the 1960s film.
The scene is scheduled to appear in the season finale of Alcatraz.
See YouTube footage from witnesses during filming of the chase:
2025 Mercedes-Benz G580 electric: Quick drive
