“That’s the Worst Idea I’ve Ever Heard.” Robert De Niro Had an Idea for a Sequel to His Acclaimed Movie, Which Was Momentarily Rejected

As a gamer who has spent countless hours immersed in the world of cinema, I can wholeheartedly agree with Paul Schrader’s decision to not create a sequel for “Taxi Driver.” The original film is a masterpiece that stands on its own, and attempting to replicate its magic could only lead to disappointment.


Despite Robert De Niro‘s illustrious career in numerous remarkable films, there’s one iconic role he yearned to revisit – “Taxi Driver.” This film, often recommended even today, remains a cinematic gem. Unfortunately, contrary to De Niro’s desire, no sequel to the 1976 production materialized, as Martin Scorsese chose to end the story at a single chapter. The reasons behind this decision are not publicly disclosed.

Despite Robert De Niro’s eagerness to reprise his role as Travis Bickle, the chance never materialized for the “Taxi Driver” sequel. The reason behind this was disclosed in an interview with IndieWire by Paul Schrader, the screenwriter of Scorsese’s original film. He clarified that he found De Niro’s proposal “the most unappealing idea he had ever encountered,” and suggested it would have been a money-grabbing move, which is why both he and Scorsese turned it down.

In simpler terms, Robert expressed his desire to do something, he consulted Marty and me about it. However, I must clarify that I don’t mean to criticize De Niro, but sometimes his choices are influenced by financial considerations. It’s possible someone suggested to him that a sequel to Taxi Driver could be financially beneficial. So, he kept pressing Marty on the idea, and eventually asked me about it. When he did, I said “Marty, that’s the most ridiculous idea I’ve ever heard.” He replied, “Yeah, but you tell him. Let’s have dinner.

At Bob’s restaurant, we had dinner and Bob shared some thoughts. I responded, “Wow, that’s the most poorly thought-out plan I’ve ever heard. The character in that movie meets a tragic end. He’s no more. However, there might be an intriguing twist to this. Perhaps he transforms into Theodore Kaczynski, living secluded in a cabin, crafting explosive letters. Now, that would make for an interesting character development. Let’s call him New Travis. He no longer has a cab; instead, he’s sitting there [laughs], constructing letter bombs.” Unfortunately, Bob didn’t seem to appreciate the idea, either.

Initially, the notion of producing Taxi Driver 2 was dismissed by the original screenwriter, as he found it hard to envision a continuation that would be satisfactory. Consequently, he regarded the suggestion of a sequel as one of the worst ideas he had ever encountered.

Certain movies don’t need sequels, it’s far better to leave them as stand-alone works, which work best in that form. Yielding to financial temptation or fan persuasion rarely ends well, so it’s possible that turning down De Niro’s request was the right thing to do here. Especially since they didn’t have any good idea to continue Travis Bickle’s story.

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2024-11-01 11:31