Bill Murray Reveals Which of His ’80s Movies He Wants To Remake (It’s Surprising)

Bill Murray starred in several classic 1980s films, but it’s one of his lesser-known works that he’d like to take another stab at. In an interview with ComicBook while promoting his new movie The Friend, Murray was asked which of his famous characters he still thinks about to this day. Interestingly, the actor mentioned the World War I drama The Razor’s Edge and opened up about the film’s development. He mentioned that during pre-production, there was debate about whether or not the film should be a period piece or not. Murray noted that while the story is set in World War I, there were still plenty of parallels to the then-present, meaning the narrative could have been updated to modern times.

“I played a character in The Razor’s Edge, and we did the movie as a period movie,” Murray said. “At the time, there was talk that maybe we should have made it as a modern movie. Now I think maybe we should have made it as a modern movie. To me, even though that book was about World War I, to my generation it was about Vietnam and what it was like to come back from that situation and try to find out what life meant after going through the killing field.”

Based on the novel of the same name, The Razor’s Edge was released in October 1984 (just a handful of months after Ghostbusters). It was notable for being Murray’s first dramatic headlining role, as he portrayed Larry Darrell. Unfortunately, the film earned a mixed reception. It was not a box office success, grossing only $6.6 million worldwide against a $13 million budget.

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In The Friend, Murray plays Walter, who bequeaths his Great Dane to his friend Iris (Naomi Watts). Iris has to adjust to her new life and also finds herself forming a bond with the dog. The Friend, which is now playing in theaters, had its world premiere at the 2024 Telluride Film Festival and earned positive reviews on the festival circuit.

Based on Murray’s comments, it doesn’t sound like he’s interested in doing a Razor’s Edge remake now but more so wishes he could go back in time to tackle the film a different way. It would have been interesting to see what The Razor’s Edge would have looked like in a more contemporary setting. The story follows Murray’s Larry, who, after fighting in World War I, travels abroad to embark on a journey to try to find meaning in life. If the tale was revised to chronicle a Vietnam veteran’s quest, perhaps the film would have found better luck striking a chord with audiences upon release, more closely tapping into a subject that resonated through America.

In the years since its release, The Razor’s Edge has earned itself a loyal fan base, with many people appreciating what it was attempting to do even if it didn’t hit all the marks. If nothing else, it was proof that Murray was much more than the comedic powerhouse he became famous for — a side of him that would later earn widespread critical acclaim in Lost in Translation. Maybe if The Razor’s Edge was a modern movie, Murray’s dramatic breakthrough would have happened much sooner.