London, April 5 : Tom Cruise is planning a remake of the classic 1969 `Western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid', starring himself and close pal John Travolta.

An associate has revealed that Cruise got the blessing of Paul Newman just months before the actor died of lung cancer last September.

Cruise, 46, wants to cast himself as Sundance, played by Robert Redford in the original, while Travolta, 55, will follow in Newman's footsteps as Cassidy.

The film about two lovable Wild West bank robbers charmed a generation and garnered four Oscars.

Cruise intends to produce the remake through United Artists, the "golden era" studio he jointly owns after helping resurrect it as an MGM subsidiary in 2006.

A senior executive said that Cruise is in talks with screenwriters capable of recapturing the essence of the original.

"It has been a pet project of his that has been on the back-burner for years. But now he's ready to go, and will most likely happily eschew the enormous salary that he normally commands," the Daily Express quoted the executive as saying.

A source said: "Butch and Sundance is a labour of love for Tom. He was eight years old when he saw the original and it made an impression that has stayed with him all his life. He can't wait to get to work."

Travolta is also said to be keen to start shooting, despite still mourning his 16-year-old son Jett, who died in the Bahamas in January. (ANI)