 According to writer Brian Garfield (qv), Sidney Lumet (qv) was  set to direct the film with Jack Lemmon (I) (qv) playing the role  of Paul Kersey (presumably to be more in line with the everyman  character in the book) and Henry Fonda (qv) as the police chief.  After Lumet chose to direct _Serpico (1973)_ (qv) instead both  Lemmon and Fonda dropped out of the movie. At one point the movie  was also set to be directed entirely in black