Login
The Original ‘Thomas Crown Affair’: Talk About A Steamy Set
In 2027 Michael B. Jordan will direct and star in the second remake of the 1968 movie The Thomas Crown Affair. The story is about a wealthy thief who pulls daring heists, and the romance that develops between him and a female investigator. Jordan, who won an Academy Award in 2026 for his performance in Sinners, has been wanting to play Thomas Crown since 2016.
LIFE staff photographer Bill Ray was on the set of the original movie, and he captured the chemistry that Jordan will be aspiring to equal.
The first movie starred Steve McQueen, an iconic actor who is the subject of the three best-selling images in the LIFE photo store. His opposite number in their cat-and-mouse pursuit was Faye Dunaway, who was coming off a star-making performance in Bonnie and Clyde. McQueen and Dunaway’s scene together in a sauna was the centerpiece of Bill Ray’s photo shoot.
But while the actors were prominent in the photos that ran in LIFE, the star of the accompanying article was director Norman Jewison, who was a hot property at the time because his previous movie, In the Heat of the Night, had just won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Jewison was in his first decade of what would be a long Hollywood career that included such films as Moonstruck (1987) and The Hurricane (1999). LIFE honored Jewison’s prowess with an article formatted as if it were the script for a documentary about him.
For instance, the article included in its “dialogue” this quote from Jewison as he was in the process of directing Dunaway and McQueen in one of the movie’s steamier scenes:
The script calls for “chess with sex.” I like that…Faye, you are playing chess, but there is another game going on. Without thinking, your right hand goes up your left arm, lightly caressing, to your throat…Steve, let’s see your eyes follow her hand…You’re up to the shoulder, across to the neck. She looks up and catches you watching. (Jewison laughs). Good. You’re embarrassed. You smile and look down. Great!
The stars of the movie had relatively few lines in the LIFE story. Dunaway said of Jewison, “He’s the only man I’ve ever known who has no hostility in him. He’s all love.” McQueen, complaining about how long Jewison kept him on set in pursuit of a scene, said “I hate him, but I love him.”
Michael B. Jordan talked about his Crown remake at CinemaCon in April 2026. Jordan, who will be co-starring with Adria Arjona, said that he initially fell in love with the story from the 1999 version that starred Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo. But he had also studied the original and said, “McQueen brought this effortless cool, this rebellious edge. He didn’t just steal. He made a statement.”
Faye Dunaway (seated) and director Norman Frederick Jewison on the set of ‘The Thomas Crown Affair,’ 1967.
Bill Ray/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway during the filming of ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’, 1967.
Bill Ray/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Faye Dunaway and Steve McQueen on the set of`The Thomas Crown Affair,’ 1967.
Bill Ray/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Faye Dunaway;Norman Jewison;Steve Mcqueen
Bill Ray/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Director Norman Frederick Jewison (left) with actors Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway during the filming of ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’ 1967.
Bill Ray/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Norman Jewison directed Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway in the 1967 crime caper ‘The Thomas Crown Affair,’ 1967.
Bill Ray/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Faye Dunaway and Steve McQueen on the set of`The Thomas Crown Affair,’ 1967.
Bill Ray/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Faye Dunaway and Steve McQueen on the set of`The Thomas Crown Affair,’ 1967.
Bill Ray/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Faye Dunaway and Steve McQueen on the set of`The Thomas Crown Affair,’ 1967.
Bill Ray/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Faye Dunaway and Steve McQueen on the set of`The Thomas Crown Affair,’ 1967.
Bill Ray/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Faye Dunaway and Steve McQueen on the set of`The Thomas Crown Affair,’ 1967.
Bill Ray/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Director Norman Frederick Jewison (left) with actors Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway during the filming of ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’ 1967.
Bill Ray/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Director Norman Frederick Jewison (left) with actors Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway during the filming of ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’ 1967.
Bill Ray/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Director Norman Frederick Jewison (left) with actors Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway during the filming of ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’ 1967.
Bill Ray/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Director Norman Frederick Jewison (left) with actors Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway during the filming of ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’ 1967.
Bill Ray/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Director Norman Frederick Jewison (left) with actors Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway during the filming of ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’ 1967.
Bill Ray/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Director Norman Frederick Jewison (left) with actors Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway during the filming of ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’ 1967.
Bill Ray/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock
The post The Original ‘Thomas Crown Affair’: Talk About A Steamy Set appeared first on LIFE.
