The Day The Dude Stood Still

Here's a trailer for Fox's upcoming Day The Earth Stood Still remake, starring Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, and John Cleese (?). The interrogation scene is interesting, and there's a lot in the story that would still be relevant. Still, I'm such a huge fan of the original, I can't help but feel that it's an exercise in futility. Judge for yourself!



UPDATE: Not that my blog is limping along as far as posting/publishing goes, here's another blurb on the film, featuring some rejected concept art for Gort. I like the massive, imposing feeling of the design, but I think it'd need to be simpler - even though the original robot is clearly a suit, the stark simplicity vividly suggests a far superior technology - large, heavy shapes holding back enormous power.

It just occurred to me - who's going to score this version?
(looks on imdb.com)

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Tyler Bates is the man who has to go head-to-head with Bernard Herrmann. Not an enviable job.

Thanks to i09.com and the-day-the-earth-stood-still-trailer.blogspot.com for the links!

Remake OTD: The Fury

Fox 2000 is set to bring Brian De Palma’s “The Fury” back to the bigscreen.

The label has tapped Brian McGreevy and Lee Shipman to pen a contemporary reimagining of the 1978 supernatural horror film.

New version will center on a young man with heightened kinetic powers who is abducted by the government in order to take advantage of his special gifts.

To read the rest of Tatiana Siegel's Variety article, click here.

Remake OTD: Wuthering Heights

"Natalie Portman is attached as the lead in a new film version of 'Wuthering Heights.'

Olivia Hetreed ('Girl With a Pearl Earring') wrote the script.

The most recent bigscreen adaptation of Emily Bronte's classic matched Ralph Fiennes with Juliette Binoche, but the Goldwyn release grossed just $624,643 in 1989."

Read the rest of Dade Hayes' Variety article here.

Remake OTD: Stanno Tutti Bene/Everybody's Fine

"Robert De Niro, Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell are set to star in the Kirk Jones-directed 'Everybody's Fine.'

The remake of the Giuseppe Tornatore film 'Stanno Tutti Bene' was written by Jones. He came aboard when the redo was first set up by Hollywood Gang Prods. and Cecchi Gori USA (Daily Variety, March 16, 2006).

De Niro will play a widower who realizes that his deceased wife was his only connection to his children. He decides on a whim to take a road trip to reconnect with each of his grown kids, discovering that their lives are far from perfect."

To read the rest of Micheal Fleming's article, click here.

Remake OTD: Short Circuit

"Dimension Films is rewiring 'Short Circuit,' acquiring rights to remake the 1986 film.

S.S. Wilson and Brent Maddock, who created the characters and wrote both 'Short Circuit' films, have been hired to write the remake. David Foster and Ryan E. Heppe will produce with John Hyde."

Read the rest of the article here.

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Wow, the eighties are back with a vengeance! I guess 'Saturn 3' will be next.

Sooner Or Later, Everyone Remakes Rick's

"It is one of the greatest films of Hollywood's golden era, a triple Oscar-winning classic with electrifyingly charismatic stars and a script bursting with memorable lines.

But now Madonna has stunned the movie industry with plans to remake Casablanca – and this time set it in Iraq.

The singer, whose previous film career has been littered with critical and commercial turkeys, is also planning to take the lead role of Ilsa Lund, which originally made a star of Ingrid Bergman."

Read the rest of the Daily Mail article here.

Remake OTD: The Lone Ranger

Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney are teaming up again to bring us a new version of the classic radio hero (if you're asking, "What's a Lone Ranger?", read this).

The writers of the Pirates of the Carribbean films are in talks to handle the script. There's no word of who will direct it yet.

To find out more, read the Hollywood Reporter article.

PS: I've heard talk that Johnny Depp was being considered for the role of Tonto, but hopefully it was just a rumor.

Remake OTD: The Wolfman

"...with this film, when I first found out they were going to do it, I went and talked to somebody I know at Universal. I said, 'You've got to let me do this! I'll do some really cool stuff.'"

-- Rick Baker, on campaigning to do makeup on Joe Johnston's The Wolfman.

There's a great interview at ew.com with preview photos. Check it out!

Remake OTD: Dune

VARIETY: Berg to direct 'Dune' for Paramount
Misher producing adaptation of sci-fi novel
By TATIANA SIEGEL - Posted: Mon., Mar. 17, 2008, 9:00pm PT

Peter Berg is attached to direct a bigscreen adaptation of Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi novel "Dune" for Paramount Pictures.

Kevin Misher, who spent the past year obtaining the book rights from the Herbert estate, will produce via his Par-based shingle.

Herbert's 1965 novel is a sweeping, futuristic tale set on the remote desert planet Arrakis, which produces the interstellar empire's sole source of the spice Melange -- used for distant space travel. An empirewide power struggle ensues over the control of the spice. Berg would be the latest helmer to take a crack at the property, which spawned a 1984 David Lynch film as well as a 2000 Sci Fi Channel miniseries starring William Hurt.

The project is out to writers, with the producers looking for a faithful adaptation of the Hugo- and Nebula Award-winning book. The filmmakers consider its theme of finite ecological resources particularly timely.

New Amsterdam's Richard Rubenstein, who produced Sci Fi's "Dune" and sequel "Children of Dune," is also producing alongside Sarah Aubrey of Film 44, Berg's production banner. John Harrison and Mike Messina exec produce.

Paramount envisions the project as a tentpole film.

Berg and Misher enjoy strong ties dating back to Misher's executive days at Universal Pictures. Misher also produced Berg's second directorial outing, "The Rundown."

Actor-turned-helmer Berg most recently directed the upcoming Will Smith starrer "Hancock." His directing credits include "The Kingdom" and "Friday Night Lights."

Remake OTD: Heavy Metal

VARIETY: Paramount puts pedal to 'Metal'
Fincher tests 'Heavy'
By MICHAEL FLEMING - Posted: Thurs., Mar. 13, 2008, 8:30pm PT

Paramount Pictures will make an animated film inspired by the '70s sci-fi fantasy magazine Heavy Metal, with director David Fincher spearheading the project.

"Heavy Metal" will be stamped by the erotic and violent storylines and images that remain the trademark of a magazine that debuted in the U.S. in 1977. The mag introduced the works of American artists and writers such as Robert Silverberg, Harlan Ellison and H.R. Giger.

The film will consist of eight or nine individual animated segments, each of which will be directed by a different helmer.

Fincher will direct one of the segments; Kevin Eastman, the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" co-creator who is now owner and publisher of Heavy Metal, will direct another. So will Tim Miller, whose Blur Studios will handle the animation for what is being conceived as an R-rated, adult-themed feature.

Fincher, Eastman and Miller will produce the film. The studio will lock in the other directors shortly. The mag previously spawned a 1981 animated feature and 2000 sequel.

Fincher, who directed "Zodiac" for Par, recently wrapped the Brad Pitt-Cate Blanchett starrer "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," which Par releases Dec. 19. Fincher recently became attached to direct Paramount's adaptation of the Charles Burns graphic novel "Black Hole" and is also developing "Torso" and "The Killer" for the studio.

Miller is writing, directing and producing a feature-length version of "Rockfish." Blur has also been responsible for animating such videogames as "Transformers: The Game," based on the hit pic from DreamWorks and Paramount.

Remake OTD: Rosemary's Baby

SHOCKTILYOUDROP.COM (EXCL): Platinum Dunes Eyeing Rosemary's Baby Remake
Source: Ryan Rotten - March 3, 2008

Ira Levin's 1967 horror novel Rosemary's Baby is going to be born again on the big screen.

Shock was tipped off this weekend, and we were later able to confirm, Platinum Dunes is in talks with Paramount to update Roman Polanski's film starring Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Sidney Blackmer and Ruth Gordon. Industry sources tell us the Dunes team - producers Brad Fuller and Andrew Form - are currently looking for a writer (or writers) to tackle the material.

First adapted in '68, Rosemary's Baby concerns a young couple - Guy and Rosemary (Cassavetes and Farrow, respectively) - living in Manhattan. Shortly after settling into their new apartment, Rosemary becomes pregnant and slowly falls very ill. Paranoia and suspicion of witchcraft at work ensues.

Dunes is currently developing new films in the Friday the 13th (location scouting has begun!) and Nightmare on Elm Street (details) franchises.

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Thanks again to I Watch Stuff!

Remake OTD: The Breakfast Club

HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: 'Bumped' is 'Breakfast' at an airport
By Steven Zeitchik - Feb 29, 2008

NEW YORK -- Veteran producer Bridget Johnson will produce "Bumped," a modern-day version of "The Breakfast Club," with McG protege Anna Mastro attached to direct from a script by Lizzy Weiss.

"Bumped" is a comedy-drama revolving around five twentysomethings -- including a corporate go-getter, a musician and a flirt -- who normally wouldn't be friends but who get to know one another when they're bumped from a flight and wind up stranded at Chicago's O'Hare Airport.

The project marks the directorial debut for Mastro, who worked closely with director-producer McG on his "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" and was an associate producer on his "Stay Alive."

Mastro also has developed and produced the CW's "Pussycat Dolls" series and, like McG, shot music videos.

The film will be financed independently and later set up at a studio; it likely won't shoot until the SAG strike situation is resolved. Johnson ("As Good as It Gets"), who was an exec at Touchstone as well as at James L. Brooks' Gracie Films, produced the upcoming Miramax release "Smart People."

John Hughes' 1985 film "The Breakfast Club" (with which "Bumped" has no formal association) was a generation-defining comedy that helped build the careers of actors like Emilio Estevez.

Thanks to I Watch Stuff! for the dubious news.

Remake OTD: Akira

VARIETY: WB takes franchise turn with 'Akira'
Studio to adapt graphic novel
By MICHAEL FLEMING - Posted: Wed., Feb. 20, 2008, 12:59pm PT

Warner Bros. will turn anime artist Katsuhiro Otomo's six-volume graphic novel "Akira" into two live-action feature films, the first of which is being fast tracked for release in summer 2009. Legendary will co-finance with WB.

Each feature will be based on three of the books in Otomo's series. The story takes place in New Manhattan, a metropolis that was rebuilt after being destroyed 31 years earlier. Otomo will exec produce the films.

Graphic novel was first adapted for the bigscreen in 1988 as a popular animated film which Otomo directed.

Studio has closed a seven-figure rights acquisition deal with manga publisher Kodansha and has set Ruairi Robinson to direct a script by Gary Whitta ("Book of Eli"). Andrew Lazar's Mad Chance will produce with Appian Way's Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson.

WB had the "Akira" rights several years ago only to let them lapse and then recapture them in a spirited bidding battle.

Robinson, an Irish helmer who has been Oscar nominated for his short film and commercials work, is making his feature debut.

The project was brought in by exec veep Greg Silverman, who has supervised "300" and "Batman Begins."

Lazar is producer on the WB comedy "Get Smart," and he's about to start production on the Jim Carrey starrer "I Love You Phillip Morris" for EuropaCorp.

Appian Way is producing the John Cusack starrer "The Factory" for WB and Dark Castle.

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This could be interesting, from a story perspective. The original is cool, but kind of degenerates into a lot of screaming and effects animation at the end. The challenge will be to clarify the story without damaging it. One of these days, I should try reading the entire graphic novel. I bought a lot of the re-laid out/re-colored version that Epic Comics did back in the day, but I don't know if they finished it.

Remake OTD: A Nightmare On Elm Street

THEREGISTER.CO.UK: Michael Bay to relive A Nightmare on Elm Street
Slasher classic franchise reglove reboot
By Lester Haines - Wednesday, January 30th 2008 14:12 GMT

Transformers director Michael Bay and his partners at the Platinum Dunes production company have been tasked by New Line Cinema to "relaunch" the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise.

Wes Craven’s 1984 slasher classic gave the world the iconic Freddy Krueger, who haunted a total of nine films and two TV series. According to Variety, the new outing will represent a "complete overhaul" of the Nightmare concept.

Bay and chums are also gearing up for a May start on resurrecting Jason Voorhees of Friday the 13th in a new film to be helmed by Marcus Nispel. This is apparently up for a "complete overhaul" as well, and movie buffs will remember just what a complete overhaul did for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - remade in 2003 by New Line with Nispel calling the shots and Platinum Dunes lurking in the shadows.

And just to reinforce the feeling that Hollywood has completely lost the ability to come up with an original concept, Variety adds that Platinum Dunes is "prepping an exorcism thriller" for Rogue Pictures, plus a remake of Near Dark to be directed by music vid vet Samuel Bayer.

Oh yes, and the company's filling its spare time "developing a Universal remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds", in which Casino Royale director Martin Campbell will presumably ensure that slated star Naomi Watts will get plenty of unwanted avian attention. ®
Bootnote

I haven't seen seen Transformers, but I did suffer Pearl Harbor a few years back. I recall thinking it was possibly the worst war flick of all time, and likely among the worst films of any genre, ever, but then I had quaffed a few ales.

Accordingly, I decided to give the film another chance a few weeks ago, while resolutely sober. As the title credits rolled, I cracked open a large bottle of tequila and downed half of it in one shot. Enough said.

Animation Remake OTD: George of the Jungle

USA TODAY: 'George of the Jungle' will swing once again
By Bill Keveney, USA TODAY

George of the Jungle is getting a makeover.

The naive, Tarzan-like bumbler, known to many adults by the 1967 cartoon and its catchy theme song, returns in a new version on the Cartoon Network on Friday (9 ET/PT).

The new cartoon makes George a teenager instead of an adult, as he was in the original created by Jay Ward. His old friends — Ape the Ape; his pet dog, Shep; and gal pal Ursula — return, joined by some new characters.

Although this George is aimed at a younger audience, kids 6 to 11, he shares most of his predecessor's traits, says Tiffany Ward, daughter of the late animator.

"He still lucks into things. He still smashes into trees," she says.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Cartoon Network | Matt Groening | Brendan Fraser | George of the Jungle

Ward's offbeat characters, which also included Rocky and Bullwinkle, Peabody and Sherman and Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties, may appeal both to parents who grew up with the original and to children who have seen the 1997 movie starring Brendan Fraser. (That film precedes the George episode Friday at 7 ET/PT.)

"Moms and dads know it. Kids grew up watching the film. They can all hum the theme song. And the humor is timeless," says Amanda Cortese of Classic Media, which made the show with Ward Productions under the label Bullwinkle Studios.

"What we're seeing in entertainment is a lot of co-viewing," Cartoon Network's Rico Hill says. "Kids are sitting down and enjoying TV with their parents."

In recasting George for a younger audience, there will be fewer of the Ward insider puns and jokes that attracted adults to his earlier cartoons. "Ward produced a whole string of shows based around humor more than the drawing style. They were aimed more at adults," animation historian Jerry Beck says.

Ward, who died in 1989, still has many fans, including The Simpsons creator Matt Groening, who named his central character Homer Jay Simpson in tribute.

New George characters include Ursula's father, Dr. Towel Scott, and a witch doctor and his daughter, Magnolia. They all live in a fictional jungle, Mbebwe. New performers play the theme. ("George, George, George of the Jungle — watch out for that tree … !")

The addition of Magnolia gives Ursula a friend and also may be a way to attract girls to a cartoon that tilts toward boys, Hill says.

George, an acquisition that has been broadcast in Canada, is a good fit for the Cartoon Network audience, Hill says. Although it has more girl appeal, he would have liked a little more diversity in the characters.

For some unexplained reason, Magnolia has a Southern accent. "That's the way of Jay Ward," Tiffany Ward says.

The new George has 26 episodes, each containing two cartoons. Only 17 episodes of the original were broadcast. Those, along with an unaired earlier pilot, will be available on DVD Feb. 12.

George isn't the only Ward update in production. Peabody and his pet boy, Sherman, are the subject of a DreamWorks film scheduled for 2010, Tiffany Ward says.

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That's the bad news. The good news is that the original show has a much better chance of being released on DVD soon, with (I'm assuming) an accompanying notice that it's no longer appropriate for children.

Remake OTD: C.H.U.D.

DREAD CENTRAL UPDATE: Zombie to Redo C.H.U.D.!
Submitted by Johnny Butane on Wed, 11/07/2007 - 4:25pm.

This just in! Spoke with Rob and he confirmed he WILL be helming the C.H.U.D. remake!

Now this would be just plain weird ... But kinda cool at the same time.

Billboard.com just posted an article about Rob Zombie’s upcoming projects, everything from a White Zombie box set to the special edition of Halloween, and made mention in passing that the rocker cum director is attached to a remake of C.H.U.D..

Whoa now, what? Why? I mean, the original is a classic in its own right and a remake sure wouldn’t hurt, but why would Zombie tackle it? Billboard didn’t get confirmation from Zombie if that is his next film or not, so we’ll put this one in the “rumors” box for now.

Keep checking back; we’ll give you more when we know it!

- Johnny Butane

Remake OTD: Child's Play

FIRST SHOWING.NET: Child's Play Remake in the Works
October 20, 2007 - by Alex Billington

While talking with David Kirschner this weekend, one of the producers of the upcoming John Cusack film Martian Child, he revealed that they are working on another Child's Play sequel, but it would instead be a remake of the first Child's Play. Don't jump the gun and complain about another remake just yet, you need to here all of the details - because this could be good. The film is only "in the works" at the moment with a story being put together but Kirschner claimed it would definitely be "more terrifying".

First things first, David Kirschner is the producer behind all five of the currently released Child's Play movies. He produced the first one and even the latest one, Seed of Chucky. Secondly, he also said that the same screenwriter who came up with the original Chucky story, Don Mancini, and who wrote all five of them is working on this one as well.

There is no director attached yet, as they're still working on the story, but some interesting discussion arose around what director might be chosen for this. Kirschner went on to explain that it would be very close to the original script, with some twists that the audience won't see coming. Sound like it could possibly be good yet?

Now just imagine a lot of the same things coming together with this that the first film had. Although Child's Play only has a 6.0/10 on IMDb, it is a cult classic in terms of horror movies and I know there a lot of big Chucky fans out there (including myself - that is, at least up to the third Child's Play). So just imagine - you have the same screenwriter and nearly the same script and you get someone like Darren Lynn Bousman, Rob Zombie, David Slade, Mikael Håfström, Christophe Gans, or even Takashi Miike to direct the remake. Now that would be awesome!

Something similar to this exact idea just happened - Rob Zombie's Halloween. Kirschner even mentioned it when one of the members of the press questioned whether a remake is a good idea at this time. Not everyone liked the Halloween remake, but I know people that did. And if you think of putting Child's Play in the hands of one of the new generation's up-and-coming horror directors, we could have a great film in the works.

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I couldn't even finish the first 'Child's Play'. I know horror films are supposed to be, you know, horrible, but it just came across to me as incredibly mean-spirited and repellant. A remake? None for me, thanks!

Remake OTD: The Birds

VARIETY: Naomi Watts set for 'Birds' remake
Martin Campbell in talks to direct for Universal
By TATIANA SIEGEL, MARC GRASER
Posted: Thurs., Oct. 18, 2007, 1:26pm PT

Naomi Watts will star and Martin Campbell is in negotiations to direct Universal's new version of "The Birds."

U is planning a reimagining of Daphne du Maurier's short story, which inspired the 1963 Alfred Hitchcock classic.

Michael Bay, Andrew Form and Brad Fuller will produce through their Platinum Dunes shingle, while Peter Guber and Cathy Schulman are producing for Mandalay Pictures.

U is not looking to rush the pic into production prior to a possible strike.

Stiles White and Juliet Snowden wrote a version of the script that is still being developed. New scribes may be brought aboard.

For the moment, Campbell's and Watts' dance cards are already filled with other projects.

Campbell is attached to Fox's runaway train actioner "Unstoppable" and crime thriller "36" at Paramount. He most recently helmed the latest James Bond installment "Casino Royale."

Watts, who will next be seen in Warner Independent's "Funny Games," is filming "The International" and will follow that up with First Look's adaptation of Amy Sutherland's "Kicked, Bitten and Scratched: Life and Lessons at the World's Premiere School for Exotic Animal Trainers."

Mandalay's David Zelon and Jonathan Krauss will oversee for Mandalay. Scott Bernstein is overseeing the pic for U.

Remake OTD: Hellraiser

VARIETY: French duo to remake 'Hellraiser'
Clive Barker to produce for Dimension
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Posted: Mon., Oct. 15, 2007, 5:38pm PT

French filmmakers Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo have scared up the job of writing and directing a remake of Clive Barker's 1987 horror film "Hellraiser" for Dimension Films. Barker will produce.

Dimension, which scored a hit with a redo of "Halloween," has the same hopes for "Hellraiser," the film that hatched a franchise around the pasty-faced Pinhead.

The original film revolved around a couple who move into an old house inhabited by the man's eviscerated half-brother, who escaped hellish torture from the Cenobites but returned shorn of his skin. The Cenobites, who are triggered by a Rubik's Cube-like puzzle device that unlocks the gates of hell, would like another meeting with the man.

Maury and Bustillo most recently directed the French fright film "Inside," released last summer in France.

"Julien and Alex showed their incredible creative talent on 'Inside,' and I'm excited to have them at the helm, working with Clive Barker, to create a fresh, suspenseful and scary reimagining of the classic tale," said Weinstein Co. co-chairman Bob Weinstein.

TWC picked up distribution rights to "Inside," a thriller about a pregnant woman who loses her boyfriend in a car crash and is subsequently haunted violently by a mysterious woman.

Remakes OTD: Fright Night, Near Dark

SHOCKTILLYOUDROP: Screen Gems De-Fangs Fright Night?
Source: Ryan Rotten - September 18, 2007

"You have to have FAITH for that to work...Misssster Vinccccent, remember?" spits vampire Jerry Dandrige in the face of a holy cross held by Peter Vincent in Tom Holland's Fright Night. And, for this rabid "Night" fan, faith is something I've held onto during these dark days of Hollywood remakes. Faith that the Fright Night property would go untouched. Un-"remade."

Screw that.

ShockTillYouDrop.com discovered Sony's Screen Gems is sifting through Hollywood's supply of writers for a Fright Night redo. But this one, from the sounds of it, is "in name only." A sundry of sources tell us executive producer Scott Strauss who may or may not still be attached and who recently shepherded Breach, starring Ryan Phillippe, and executive produced Robert Englund's Killer Pad, wants to take Fright Night in a different direction. One involving an amusement park in some way.

Our immediate thought is "They're remaking Tobe Hooper's Funhouse and calling it Fright Night." We haven't heard a peep yet regarding how Gems is coming along with the pitch process, but we'll keep you in the loop!


BLOODY-DISGUSTING: Near Dark Remake News
Monday, September 17, 2007

Bloody-Disgusting has been scooped that Samuel Bayer will in fact helm Rogue Pictures' Near Dark remake for Platinum Dunes. Bayer directed music videos for The Smashing Pumpkins, Metallica, Green Day, Garbage and many others. Matt Venne wrote the screenplay that follows a young man who reluctantly joins a travelling "family" of evil vampires, when the girl he'd tried to seduce is part of that group. This will be the next film from Platinum Dunes, which is headed by Brad Fuller and Andrew Form.

Remake OTD: The Wild Geese

VARIETY: Hollywood Gang flocks for 'Geese'
Film unit signs deal for remake - By MICHAEL FLEMING
Posted: Wed., Sep. 19, 2007, 8:00pm PT

Hollywood Gang Prods. has made a deal to remake "The Wild Geese," the 1978 film about a group of British mercenaries who are contracted to free an imprisoned African leader.

Rupert Sanders is attached to direct. Hollywood Gang's Gianni Nunnari will produce. Discussions are under way to bring the film to Warner Bros., where Nunnari was a producer on "300."

Richard Burton, Roger Moore and Richard Harris starred in the original, which was based on Daniel Carney's unpublished novel "The Thin White Line."

New deal came out of a conversation between Nunnari and Sanders in which each recalled the original as a favorite film.

"It has it all: great characters, action, plot twists and revenge," Sanders said. "We are making a tough film, taking ex-British soldiers from the murky London underworld to the battlefields in Africa."

Euan Lloyd and Hollywood Gang partner Craig J. Flores will exec produce.

Hollywood Gang is teamed with producer Nick Wechsler on an adaptation of the Warren Ellis graphic novel "Ocean" and has Sylvain White ("Stomp the Yard") attached to direct an adaptation of the Frank Miller graphic novel "Ronin" at Warner Bros.

Remakes OTD: The Stepfather, Prom Night

VARIETY: McCormick to direct 'Stepfather'
Screen Gems to remake horror film - By TATIANA SIEGEL
Posted: Mon., Sep. 10, 2007, 8:00pm PT

Nelson McCormick has signed on to direct Screen Gems' remake of "The Stepfather."

Story centers on a teenage boy who discovers his new stepfather is a serial killer who has murdered multiple families. Script by Joe Cardone takes a modern spin on the 1987 thriller of the same name that starred Terry O'Quinn.

Greg Mooradian and Mark Morgan of Maverick Films are producing "Stepfather."

McCormick recently wrapped production of Screen Gems' "Prom Night," which stars Brittany Snow, Idris Elba and Johnathon Schaech and opens April 11.

Remake OTD: The Illustrated Man

VARIETY: Zack Snyder to direct 'Illustrated'
Filmmaker also producing redo for Warners By DIANE GARRETT - Posted: Tue., Aug. 28, 2007, 5:32pm PT

Warner Bros. has tattooed Zack Snyder's name on its redo of "The Illustrated Man."

The helmer, busy prepping "Watchmen" for the studio, is attached to direct and produce the remake based on Ray Bradbury's collection of short stories by the same name. "Watchmen" scribe Alex Tse will tackle the screenplay.

The collection, first published in 1951, is narrated by a mysterious man with living tattoos that predict the future. Rod Steiger starred in the title role for the 1969 bigscreen adaptation, distributed by Warner Bros.-Seven Arts; Claire Bloom co-starred.

Di Novi Pictures and Snyder's shingle, Cruel and Unusual Films, are producing the remake. Denise Di Novi, and Deborah Snyder, the helmer's wife and producing partner, are also producing, along with Frank Darabont. Cruel and Unusual's Wesley Coller and Di Novi's Alison Greenspan are exec producing.

Snyder and his wife signed a first-look deal with the studio in the wake of his success with "300" (Daily Variety, Jan. 30). They are producing "Illustrated Man" through Cruel and Unusual.

Di Novi's shingle has produced numerous films at the studio under its production deal, including "Nights in Rodanthe."

Remake/Sequel/Re-Imagining/Fool's Errand OTD: The Wizard Of Oz

VARIETY: Warners, McFarlane return to 'Oz'
Olson to write revisionist take on Baum books
By MICHAEL FLEMING - Posted: Tue., Aug. 21, 2007, 8:00pm PT

Todd McFarlane will bring his own take on 'The Wizard of Oz' to the bigscreen.
Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow Pictures are teaming on "Oz," a revisionist take on the L. Frank Baum books that hatched "The Wizard of Oz."

Project was acquired based on an idea by Todd McFarlane that was fleshed out and pitched by Josh Olson ("A History of Violence").

Olson will write and McFarlane will produce with Thunder Road’s Basil Iwanyk. Rick Benattar ("Shoot ’Em Up") is exec producer.

Conversations with McFarlane and Olson make it clear that they are still working out the tone of the film. They have plenty to work with. WB has owned the rights to the original "The Wizard of Oz" since buying Ted Turner’s empire, whose assets included the film and other plum titles in the MGM library. There are also 15 novels in the Oz series written by Baum, most in the public domain.

McFarlane has a vision of Oz that is a dark, edgy and muscular PG-13, without a singing Munchkin in sight. That was clear with a toy line he launched several years ago that featured a buxom Dorothy and Toto reimagined as an oversized snarling warthog. Olson has something a little tamer, and PG, in mind.

"I saw those toys, and Dorothy as some bondage queen isn’t something I want to do," Olson told Daily Variety. "The appealing thing about the Baum books to me is how wildly imaginative they are. There are crazy characters from amazing places. I want this to be ‘Harry Potter’ dark, not ‘Seven’ dark."

Both McFarlane and Olson are on the same page when it comes to the promise of marrying the Baum story with benefits of visual effects advancements.

"My pitch was ‘How do we get people who went to ‘Lord of the Rings’ to embrace this?’ " McFarlane said. "I want to create (an interpretation) that has a 2007 wow factor. You’ve still got Dorothy trapped in an odd place, but she’s much closer to the Ripley from ‘Alien’ than a helpless singing girl."

Olson was keeping plot specifics to himself but said the film will be closer to a sequel than a remake.

"We still want to take advantage of the first film, which might be the most beloved of all time, and rely on its place in your cultural memory to bubble beneath the surface," Olson said. "A lot of the plot is mine, but the characters are all Baum."

McFarlane, a former Marvel Comics animator who created "Spawn," is working on several producing projects, such as Paramount’s "The Torso," which has David Fincher attached to direct. McFarlane is producing with Bill Mechanic and Don Murphy.

Olson is repped by WMA, McFarlane by ICM.

Remake OTD: Fantastic Voyage

VARIETY: Emmerich to captain 'Voyage'
Sci-fi guy embarks on redo
By MICHAEL FLEMING - Posted: Wed., Aug. 15, 2007, 7:25pm PT

Helmer Roland Emmerich is boarding a remake of the 1966 sci-fi pic "Fantastic Voyage" for 20th Century Fox.

"National Treasure" scribes Marianne and Cormac Wibberley are in talks to write the script.

"Voyage" is about a scientist who is dying of a blood clot. His only chance for survival is for five scientist colleagues to be miniaturized in a ship, and injected into his bloodstream.

The original, directed by Richard Fleischer, starred Raquel Welch and Donald Pleasence.

Emmerich's Centropolis Entertainment partner Michael Wimer will produce with James Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment.

It is Emmerich's second tour of duty on the project, after being attached a decade ago. The Wibberleys recently took a stab at a draft of "Voyage" that sparked the director's renewed interest in doing the remake.

"Fantastic Voyage" is the director's third large-scale film for Fox, after "Independence Day" and "The Day After Tomorrow."

Emmerich recently completed "10,000 B.C.," which will be released March 7 by Warner Bros. and Legendary.

The Wibberleys are among the dozen scribes in Writing Partners, the scribe collective which just sealed an unusual first-look deal with Fox for spec scripts. (Daily Variety, Aug. 15). That deal is reserved for original creations by those writers, so the "Fantastic Voyage" assignment doesn't apply.

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Hmm... I'm not enamored enough with the original to get upset about this. In fact, I think it's a pretty good candidate for a remake - the only thing that I'd really like to stay the same is the design of the submarine. I wonder if they'll stylize the human body like last time, or get all squishy and use endoscopic photography? Who will they stuff into the low-cut wetsuit in this version (no votes for Jessica Alba, please)?

Remake OTD: Anthony Zimmer

VARIETY: Hallstrom to direct French remake
Helmer signs first-look deal with Regency TV
By MICHAEL FLEMING - Posted: Wed., Jul. 25, 2007, 8:00pm PT

Lasse Hallstrom is set to direct "Anthony Zimmer," a remake of the 2005 French film. Spyglass is financing and has set an early 2008 production start in Europe.

Hallstrom also has made a first-look production deal with Regency Television to develop programming he'll exec produce and direct. Deal comes after Hallstrom directed the Regency pilot "New Amsterdam," which will debut on Fox's fall schedule.

"Anthony Zimmer" will be Hallstrom's next feature assignment. Pic will be produced by Spyglass' Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber and Jonathan Glickman. Leslie Holleran, Hallstrom's longtime producing partner, is expected to join as a producer.

Scripted by Julian Fellowes ("Gosford Park"), thriller concerns an American tourist who finds his life in danger when a female Interpol agent uses him as a dupe to flush out an elusive criminal with whom she once had an affair.

Original pic was written and directed by Jerome Salle. Spyglass and Canal Plus co-financed development and will produce the remake together. Spyglass, which this summer opens "Underdog," "Rush Hour 3" and "Balls of Fury," just wrapped the Katherine Heigl starrer "27 Dresses" and just started production on Universal's Greg Kinnear starrer "Flash of Genius," directed by Marc Abraham.

"New Amsterdam" marked Hallstrom's first TV job in America, but Regency Television president Robin Schwartz said it won't be his last.

"I sent him the script on a whim, and it turned out he'd done TV in Sweden and many commercials, and he just elevated the pilot," she said. "We might bring a concept to him, early on, and he will bring us ideas he has that fit better as a series than a feature."

Regency also has a deal with screenwriter Allan Loeb, who co-wrote and is an exec producer on "New Amsterdam."

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Wow! We're down to three years between the original and the remake now. Do I hear a year? Do I hear six months? Going once, going twice...

Remake OTD: Troll

BLOODYDISGUSTING.COM: 'Troll' Being Remade, With a Monster Budget?
Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Here is how commited I am to you guys... this is the hardest thing I ever typed in my life considering I just had an eye exam and all I see are blurry keys - but this news was just too good to pass up. We heard rumblings recently that a remake to the '86 horror film Troll was being remake, with a substantial budget. Of course the first thing we did was laugh, laugh some more and then joke about the piss scene in the sequel. Well guess what... it wasn't a joke. We discovered this evening that a remake to John Carl Buechler's film is in fact being remade. No details have been revealed about the film other than this synopsis: The film is about a young boy enters a parallel world of wizards and magic where he befriends a good witch. Soon the boy learns that he must save the world from an evil Troll/Wizard that has the ability to hide his essence within the bodies of others. Watch for more as soon as we find out.

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More money for the 'Troll' remake? I guess that means they'll buy a better brand of spinach, as opposed to the going to the dented can store like they did last time.

Remake OTD: A Christmas Carol

VARIETY: Jim Carrey set for 'Christmas Carol'
Zemeckis directing Dickens adaptation
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Posted: Fri., Jul. 6, 2007, 11:21am PT

Jim Carrey will play Ebenezer Scrooge and the three ghosts that haunt him in "A Christmas Carol," an adaptation of the Charles Dickens tale that Robert Zemeckis wrote and will direct for Walt Disney Pictures.

Zemeckis, Jack Rapke and Steve Starkey will produce through ImageMovers Digital. The trio recently made an overall Disney deal for their ImageMovers banner.

Zemeckis will shoot the film using "performance capture/Disney digital 3-D" animation, a continuing evolution of techniques he introduced in "Polar Express" and continues with "Beowulf," the upcoming film that stars Angelina Jolie.

"A Christmas Carol" will also feature a touch of live action and computer graphics, the latter of which ImageMovers employed in the Gil Kenan-directed "Monster House."

The technology provides a playground for the chameleon-like Carrey, who will act the character of Scrooge through several all the periods of his life, as well as the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. Zemeckis wrote the script specifically with Carrey in mind and the actor said yes straight away.

It's the second iconic holiday role for Carrey, who played the title character in the Ron Howard-directed "Dr. Suess' How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

Bob Hoskins has blabbed to the Internet that he would also be in "A Christmas Carol," inadvertently revealing a project that ImageMovers had been trying to keep secret. While Hoskins--who starred for Zemeckis in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit"--might end up in the film, the studio denied that any deal had yet been made with him.

"A Christmas Carol" becomes one of several high profile projects for Carrey, who hasn't determined which he'll make next, or how many he'll be able to complete by next summer, when studios are bracing for possible labor stoppage.

A Carrey priority is "Ripley's Believe it Or Not!," and Paramount, armed with a Steve Oedekerk rewrite, is trying to find a schedule that will allow Tim Burton to direct, even as he completes post-production on "Sweeney Todd," the DreamWorks musical that stars Johnny Depp and Sacha Baron Cohen.

Carrey is also set to play a gay prison escapee in "I Love You Phillip Morris," the Andrew Lazar-produced dark independent comedy written and directed by the "Bad Santa" team of Glenn Ficarra and John Requa. Carrey's also going to play a reluctant nursemaid to his ailing wife and her family in the Fox comedy "Me Time," scripted by Ian Roberts and Jay Martel. And Carrey just signed on to star in "Sober Buddies," the Andrew Kurtzman-scripted comedy for Universal and Stuber/Parent.

Remake/Sequel OTD: The Invisible Man

VARIETY: Goyer eyes U's new 'Invisible' film
By MICHAEL FLEMING

Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment have set David Goyer to write and direct "The Invisible Man," a new take on the H.G. Wells classic. Brian Grazer will produce.

Conceived as a sequel to Wells' original tale, the story centers on a British nephew of the original Invisible Man. Once he discovers his uncle's formula for achieving invisibility, he is recruited by British intelligence agency MI5 during WWII.

"I've always been a fan of the original H.G. Wells book as well as the Universal film and felt the property was ripe for reimagining," Goyer said.

Imagine's David Bernardi and Chris Wade will be involved in a producing capacity.

Goyer, who most recently directed ghost tale "The Invisible" and "Blade: Trinity," is planning to helm the Sheldon Turner-scripted "X-Men" spinoff "Magneto" for Fox.

Posted: Wed., Jun. 13, 2007, 7:30pm PT

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Thanks to silas216's blog for the image! The picture has nothing to do with the new film.

Remakes OTD: The Big Chill, You Are So Handsome

VARIETY: Screen Gems to reheat 'Big Chill'
Film to be remade with African-American cast
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Posted: Tue., Jun. 12, 2007, 7:30pm PT

Screen Gems will remake Lawrence Kasdan's 1983 pic "The Big Chill."

The movie will likely be retitled, but the original script by Kasdan and Barbara Benedek will be used as a template; the storyline will be contemporized and the cast will be African American.

Screen Gems owns the rights and will hire a screenwriter to do a polish on the original script. Kasdan is not involved.

Regina King will be part of the ensemble, and she will produce with her sister, Reina King, and Will Packer ("Stomp the Yard").

Screen Gems president Clint Culpepper is out to directors and intends to get the picture in production by year's end.

The remake will stick closely to the original storyline, in which seven college friends reunite over a weekend at a South Carolina house for the funeral of a pal. As they get reacquainted, they become introspective about how their lives turned out.

The cast of the new film will be in their 30s, which means the characters will have matriculated together in the 1990s instead of the '60s. Music will be a big part of the film, though the redo may stick with the original's fixation on Motown classics.

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Those trippy, idealistic '90s! We were so young and crazy then - trying to change the world. What happened to those ideals... that... we clung... huh? Does this make any sense to anybody? Granted, we're all probably sick and tired of Woodstock mythologizing, but if you want to do a 'how-we've-changed' story, the last twenty years doesn't offer a lot of dramatic contrast. I guess they'll have to make the characters radical without a turbulent political backdrop, which seems kind of diluted.

PS - Since 'The Big Chill' is a kinda-remake-or-ripoff-depending-on-who-you-ask of 'Return of the Secaucus 7', this new film will be the third version of this story.

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VARIETY: Nabatoff to remake French hick pic
'Handsome' was sleeper hit
By ALISON JAMES
Posted: Tue., Jun. 12, 2007, 8:28am PT

PARIS -- Gaumont has inked a deal with U.S. producer Diane Nabatoff to co-develop a U.S. remake of French sleeper hit "You Are So Handsome."

Low-budget hick pic, produced by Film Par Film's Jean-Louis Livi and Gaumont's Sidonie Dumas, took sixth place at the French box office in 2005, nabbing 3.5 million admissions.

Pic's scribe Isabelle Mergault's helming debut also sold well internationally and has done brisk business in Germany -- where it made E1.2 million ($1.6 million) at the box office -- Spain, Belgium, Switzerland and Israel.

Deal with Nabatoff, who's working on George Clooney starrer "White Jazz," is valid for 12 months, Gaumont said. The French major did not give further details.

"You Are So Handsome" stars Michel Blanc as a widowed farmer who decides he must acquire another wife to cook and clean.

Despite his purely pragmatic intentions, his mail-order Eastern European wife brings romance into his life.

Gaumont recently reteamed with Livi and Mergault for her soph pic, "Enfin veuve" (A Widow at Last), which finished shooting in May and is slated for release in January.

Remakes OTD: The Thing, Conan The Barbarian, Dressed To Kill

COMINGSOON.NET: The Thing Remake Coming to Theaters
Source: Variety
November 17, 2006

Strike Entertainment and Universal Pictures will remake John Carpenter's The Thing, reports Variety.

The script will be written by "Battlestar Galactica" executive producer Ronald D. Moore. The 1982 original dealt with a shape-shifting creature from outer space that terrorizes researchers at an Antarctic facility.

Strike partners Marc Abraham and Eric Newman will produce and the company will co-finance the remake, to which Universal owned the rights. David Foster, who produced the original film, will executive produce.

Carpenter's film continued the storyline of the Howard Hawks-directed The Thing From Another World. That 1951 film starred James Arness as an alien monster that wiped out workers at an Army radar station.

Carpenter's film opened with a team arriving to find that encampment has been wiped out. The alien moved from the body of one team member to another, so it was never quite clear who the villain was.

The producers said they consider the new film to be more "a companion piece" to the Carpenter film than a note-for-note remake.

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MANIA.COM: Warner Bros. making CONAN THE BARBARIAN
By: Karl Schneider, News Editor
Source: Variety
Date: Thursday, June 15, 2006

Warner Bros. Pictures is eyeing an early 2007 start of production for CONAN THE BARBARIAN, a new take on the Robert E. Howard created character.

Boaz Yakin (FRESH, REMEMBER THE TITANS) has been asked to write and possibly direct the film after his pitch impressed the studio.

Yakin's concept is reported to be more faithful to Howard's story than were the two previous Conan films which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger as Conan.

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VARIETY.COM: MGM remaking 'Dressed to Kill'
Studio pacts with Hyde Park on DVD movies
By DAVE MCNARY, PETER GILSTRAP
Posted: Tue., Jun. 5, 2007, 8:00pm PT

MGM is partnering with Ashok Amritraj's Hyde Park Entertainment to produce direct-to-DVD movies aimed at specific demos.

First project from the alliance will be a remake of the 1980 thriller "Dressed to Kill," with Rick Alexander signed to write the script.

Hyde Park's Patrick Aiello initiated the remake project and will head the banner's new consumer direct division, working closely with MGM's recently installed home entertainment VP Jason Weiss, who will oversee the production.

The original pic was released by Filmways, which was later acquired by Orion and ultimately by MGM. Brian De Palma wrote and directed, with Angie Dickinson, Dennis Franz, Nancy Allen and Michael Caine starring.

Alexander recently scripted the sci-fi thriller "Subatomic" for the two companies, and is producing a remake of "Conan the Barbarian" for Warner Bros.

MGM is planning to release 12 or more DVD projects per year, primarily based on popular film and TV franchises. Hyde Park recently wrapped "Asylum," is in post- production on James Wan's "Death Sentence" for Fox and has a five-year co-financing agreement with Fox, which is also the exclusive distrib for MGM's consumer-direct projects.

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Some of this news looks old. It appears the Conan remake is still on the boards, though the Thing re-remake may have mutated into the Sci-Fi Channel four-hour mini-series.

Another Thought On Remakes

I did a little math concerning the number of film remakes that I've discovered since February. I've uncovered about twenty different titles being remade over a hundred and twenty-five days. That comes to a remake announced every 6.25 days!

It looks pretty certain that the remake thing isn't going to go away. My friend Derek suggested that we discuss which films we'd like to see remade. Who knows? Maybe some studio will read this stuff and take note.

So that's my question: which films do you consider prime remake material - near misses with promising content that could easily be improved? I'll kick-start the proceedings:

* Young Sherlock Holmes - Well cast, and a neat premise of Holmes meeting Watson in boarding school, and taking on his first big case. The script quickly lost confidence in the audience and devolved into a Temple Of Doom clone. Might work well in the Harry Potter era.

* Explorers - Three schoolmates have similar dreams that are actually broadcasts from outer space. Using the information in the messages, they build a homemade spaceship and head off to meet the aliens responsible. It's one of the most level-headed films Joe Dante's ever done, but it jumps the rails in the disappointing finale. It'd be a great re-do if someone could cook up the right topper.

* Mystery Men - Amateur super-heroes team up to fight a menace threatening their city. Some good casting and funny writing couldn't overcome the surfeit of characters and ill-fitting Burtonesque tone. In the right hands, this could be hilarious!

Your thoughts?

Remake OTD: Meatballs

CHUD.COM: INEVITABLE MEATBALLS REMAKE COOKED UP
06.04.07 - By Jeremy Smith
Contributing sources: Honey Roy Palmer

There's no use getting overly indignant in response to the news that Lionsgate is developing a Meatballs remake; though I enjoy the Ivan Reitman original for Bill Murray's inspired riffing and the charisma vacuum that is Chris Makepeace (to be fair, he's much better in Tony Bill's underrated My Bodyguard), it's not a particularly strong movie. Reitman's direction is just this side of perfunctory (he says indicating the half of his desk with the Harvey Pekar bobblehead as opposed to the half occupied by the bottle of Crib Malt Liquor), while the supporting cast is excessively Canadian in the wrong way (I don't have time to explain this, which is fortunate because I doubt whatever I came up with would make a lick of sense). With very few exceptions, the big laughs are supplied by Murray, who hopefully alleviated his boredom by plowing his way through the female cast during the thirty-day shoot (while carefully avoiding the homely chick who played Roxanne).

But, for those of you who care, if the Meatballs brand name could withstand the ignominy of the three barely-related sequels that followed (beginning with 1984's E.T. takeoff, Meatballs Part II), I'm sure its memory won't be tarnished by Lionsgate's in-development remake, which has been assigned to the writing team of Sean Anders and John Morris (they're responsible for something called Never Been Thawed). Hell, maybe they'll come up with something that equals the original on the page. If they do, expect their hard work to be undone by John Whitesell of Malibu's Most Wanted infamy, who's currently being courted to direct.

Some of you still might want to get up in arms over this one. As someone who grew up believing Reitman's Meatballs deserved a spot in the pantheon alongside Animal House and Caddyshack, I understand this. But I'd caution you to save your outrage for a worthwhile target, especially since one is on the way.

How does a remake of Slap Shot strike you?

Remakes OTD: Midnight, The Women

VARIETY: Witherspoon to star in 'Midnight'
'Sunshine' scribe Arndt to write script
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Posted: Wed., May 30, 2007, 7:30pm PT

Universal Pictures will develop a remake of the 1939 comedy "Midnight" as a star vehicle for Reese Witherspoon scripted by Michael Arndt, who won the Oscar for "Little Miss Sunshine."

Stuber/Parent partners Mary Parent and Scott Stuber will produce with Witherspoon and her Type A Films partner Jennifer Simpson.

Arndt hatched the idea, which prompted the producers to team.

"Midnight" has "long been one of my favorite films, and it is easily one of the best comedies of the '30s," Arndt said. "Being given the chance to update the film with Reese in the lead is simply a dream come true."

In the original, Claudette Colbert starred as a destitute young woman in Paris who becomes a pawn when a wealthy man tries to get rid of the gigolo wooing his wife. John Barrymore also starred in the film that was directed by Mitchell Leisen and written by Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder.

The original was released by Paramount but became U property when the studio bought the pre-1948 Par library.

Project will not be next for Witherspoon, who's deciding between several films for her next slot. She's repped by CAA and Management 360 and Arndt by Endeavor.

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VARIETY: 'Women' finally ready for makeover
Eva Mendes, Annette Bening join cast
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Posted: Wed., May 30, 2007, 7:30pm PT

After more than a decade of trying, Diane English has a solid cast and an Aug. 6 start date for "The Women," the remake of the 1939 classic that she adapted and will direct.

Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Jada Pinkett Smith, Debra Messing and Candice Bergen have either signed or are near committing to star in a contemporized version of the George Cukor-directed film, which Picturehouse will distribute domestically next year.

The project's less-than-$20 million budget has been financed by Inferno Entertainment, Picturehouse and soapmaker Dove, which will make "The Women" a major cog in a marketing campaign for its female-friendly brand. The financing was pieced together with an assist from the independent division of ICM, the agency that reps English.

Jagged Pictures partners Victoria Pearman and Mick Jagger will produce with English and Inferno's Bill Johnson, who brokered deals in Germany, Italy, Spain and other territories during Cannes. Johnson's Inferno partner, Jim Seibel, will exec produce.

While numerous remake attempts were made at MGM before the title sold with the MGM library to Ted Turner, the current version took root right after Turner bought New Line and set up "The Women" as a star/producing pairing of Julia Roberts and Ryan, with James L. Brooks planning to direct (Daily Variety, April 18, 1994).

English signed on to write the script shortly thereafter, at a time when she was the hottest writer on television thanks to "Murphy Brown." English became attached as the project's director in 2001 and is now in a position to reteam with that sitcom's star, Bergen.

The bitchy tone of the Clare Boothe Luce play lent itself perfectly to a 1939 original film that starred Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell and others. Even though the property has always been catnip to actresses, skeptics felt the film was locked in its original period and would be difficult to remake. English, who weathered several near starts and watched actresses come and go, simply would not give up.

Her script maintains the arch spirit of the original, and the all-female cast, but the gals aren't as relentlessly catty this time around. Story follows a group of female friends when the one they envied most discovers her husband's cheating on her.

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Doesn't ten years seem like a really long time to spend lobbying for a remake? I'm assuming Ms. English has probably been working on her own scripts, too, but still... ten years?

Remake OTD: The Last House On The Left

VARIETY: Writer, director enter Craven's 'House'
Iliadis, Alleca join project
By DIANE GARRETT
Posted: Tue., May 29, 2007, 7:41pm PT

Wes Craven has found a writer and director for the remake of his first pic, "The Last House on the Left," which he is producing for Rogue under his Midnight Pictures shingle.

Midnight is finalizing a deal for Dennis Iliadis to direct the redo, with Adam Alleca on board to rewrite.

Craven is producing with Midnight cohort Marianne Maddalena and Sean S. Cunningham. Latter produced the 1972 original.

Craven said the remake will retain the spirit of the original, about killers who inadvertently seek refuge with the parents of one of their victims, but aim for a more realistic tone.

"The first one was arch -- especially in relation to the killers," Craven said.

He said they chose Iliadis because they found his pic "Hardcore" "so compelling and real."

Alleca has another project in development at Midnight called "Home," and had previously approached Craven about revisiting "The People Under the Stairs," his 1991 pic.

There are no plans yet for that to be remade, but Craven hasn't ruled it out. He recently revisited his 1977 pic, "The Hills Have Eyes," in a sequel for Fox Atomic.

"It's kind of working its way back," he said.

He said part of the reason he's revisiting earlier films is that those are ones over which he had more ownership control, and partly it's because he figured, "Why not?"

Craven expects to begin production on "The Last House on the Left" early next year.

Craven formed Midnight a year ago with the mission of finding new voices for horror pics with budgets of less than $15 million. The remake for "The Last House on the Left" was included in his Rogue deal (Daily Variety, Sept. 28, 2006).

Remake OTD: Enter The Phoenix

VARIETY: 'Phoenix' remake rises
Tennenbaum signs on for Hong Kong comedy
By PATRICK FRATER
Posted: Mon., May 28, 2007, 11:27am PT

Andrew R. Tennenbaum has acquired remake rights from Jackie Chan to Hong Kong action comedy `Enter the Phoenix.'
"Bourne" franchise producer Andrew R. Tennenbaum will produce a remake of Hong Kong action comedy "Enter the Phoenix."

Tennenbaum's L.A.-based Flashpoint Entertainment acquired remake rights from Jackie Chan's JCE Movies.

Original 2004 pic was directed and co-scripted by Stephen Fung, who also starred. Chan, Albert Yeung and Willie Chan produced the movie, which Yeung's Emperor Motion Pictures repped for international territories.

Tennenbaum, who is in post on Paul Greengrass' "The Bourne Ultimatum" for Universal and on soccer docu "Fandemonium," is seeking writers and a helmer for the project.

"Stephen tells a great story and has a terrific sense of humor. This movie should be remade for a bigger, broader audience," Tennenbaum said.

Deal was brokered by WMA's Shanghai office.

Synergy OTD: The Sims Movie

VARIETY: Fox brings 'SIMS' to bigscreen
Film will be a live-action version
By PETER GILSTRAP
Posted: Thurs., May 24, 2007, 7:30pm PT

20th Century Fox has acquired feature rights to the life simulation computer game "The SIMS" from Electronic Arts, and has set project up with Fox-based John Davis.

The five-year-old franchise is the best selling PC game in history, with worldwide sales topping 85 million, bringing in over $1.6 billion. Pic will be a live-action version.

Steve Asbell is overseeing the project for Fox with SIMS Studio head Rod Humble managing the creative property for Electronic Arts. Brian Lynch will script; story is under wraps with talent yet to be named.

"'The SIMS has done an interactive version of an old story, which is what it's like to have infinite power and how do you deal with it," said Humble. "Given that that's an old story, you can imagine how easily that would translate to traditional story telling."

Davis' most recent projects include "Norbit," "When A Stranger Calls," and "Eragon."

Lynch scripted and helmed upcoming "Big Helium Dog," and penned "Scary Movie 3," and is managed by Benderspink.

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Okay, somebody has to help me out here. If somebody makes a live-action film version of a video game that's a simulation of real life... isn't that just... a regular movie? You could call any movie 'The Sims Movie'. Heck, just pick the biggest hit of the season, claim it was the 'Sims' film, and show up for your free money.

Remake OTD: Les Voleurs/Thieves

VARIETY: Kerrigan to redo 'Thieves'
Sarkissian, Fox, Sussman to produce
By PAMELA MCCLINTOCK
Posted: Wed., May 23, 2007, 8:00pm PT

Warner Independent Pictures has set filmmaker Lodge Kerrigan to write and direct "Thieves," an English-language remake of French film "Les Voleurs."

Arthur Sarkissian, Jennifer Fox and Peter Sussman are producing.

Set in New Orleans, "Thieves" tells the story of a police detective who is the black sheep of his family, a band of criminals.

Filmmaker Andre Techine directed the 1996 French original, which starred Daniel Auteuil and Catherine Deneuve.

Kerrigan arrived on the indie scene in 1994 with psychodrama "Clean, Shaven," the story of a schizophrenic man trying to get his daughter back. He next made "Claire Dolan," which was nominated for the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or.

A decade after "Clean, Shaven," Kerrigan made the critically acclaimed "Keane," also about a schizophrenic and his daughter, but with a different twist.

Between "Claire" and "Keane," Kerrigan directed "In God's Hands," starring Peter Sarsgaard and Maggie Gyllenhaal and exec produced by Steven Soderbergh.

Pic had all but completed shooting when a lab destroyed the negative.

Upcoming releases at Warner Independent include "Rails & Ties," Paul Haggis' "In the Valley of Elah" and docu "The 11th Hour," narrated and produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, which had its world preem at Cannes last week.

Remake/Synergy OTD: Masters Of The Universe

VARIETY: He-Man returns to big screen
Joel Silver teams with WB for adaptation
By MICHAEL FLEMING

Warner Bros. and producer Joel Silver are working with Mattel to turn "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" into a live-action film.

Justin Marks is set to write the script. Silver will produce.

Deal, which is contingent on Mattel formally approving an outline for the project, is another example of Hollywood culling a 1980s-era pop-culture touchstone in the hopes of seeding a tentpole pic. The sale comes just a few weeks before the July preem of DreamWorks' Michael Bay-directed "Transformers," which began as an '80s animated series and toy line.

He-Man was born as a Mattel action figure, and the toymaker created an animated series in hopes of selling dolls. The series became a cult favorite, spawning the 1987 pic "Masters of the Universe."

The new rendition was pitched to the studio and Mattel as a classic good vs. evil battle, using the kind of visual effects strategy employed in "300." A warrior is touted as the last hope of a magical land called Eternia, which is being ravaged by technology and a despotic ruler named Skeletor.

Many of the characters in the universe will be informed by the four different cartoon series done since the 1980s.

The story was hatched by Marks and Neil Ellice, the latter of whom will co-produce. Silver Pictures, which is turning the Japanese animated series "Speed Racer" into a live-action film with Larry and Andy Wachowski directing, sparked to the potential. Silver Pictures exec Navid McIlhargey brought it in and will be involved in a producing capacity.

The viability of the "He-Man" universe is evidenced by the traffic that has occurred since rumors of a screen resurrection hit the Internet. Contrary to Web rumor, the lead role has not yet been cast.

WMA-repped Marks is writing a number of scripts, including "One Free Murder," for producer Kevin Misher. In the fantasy-franchise realm, he's turning the animated series "Voltron" into a live-action film for producer Mark Gordon; he's developing a screen version of the vidgame "Street Fighter" for Hyde Park; and he's scripting a feature for Warners based on the DC Comics character the Green Arrow.

Remake OTD: The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty - Also, Austin Powers Sequel

VARIETY: Mike Myers to star in 'Mitty' remake
Actor in on Fox, Goldwyn's 'Secret'
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Posted: Tue., May 22, 2007, 4:58pm PT

Mike Myers is attached to star in "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," a remake of the Danny Kaye comedy classic that producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr. has moved from Paramount to 20th Century Fox.

Jay Kogen, a writer and producer on "The Simpsons," "Frasier" and, most recently, CBS' "The Class," is penning the script. Goldwyn will produce.

Jim Carrey had once been attached to play the daydreamer first brought to life in 1947 by Kaye in a pic based on a short story by James Thurber. Directors attached to the project on and off during the past few years include Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard. When those efforts didn't pan out, Goldwyn moved the film to Par, where "Mean Girls" director Mark Waters tried to do it with Owen Wilson.

Fox and Goldwyn are starting from scratch with a version that will be specifically tailored for Myers.

The long-gestating "Mitty" is one of several projects in the works for Myers, whose green alter ego is cleaning up at the box office in "Shrek the Third." His next live-action vehicle, Paramount comedy "The Love Guru," is on track to begin production in September in Toronto, with Marco Schnabel directing. Myers will play Pitka, a self-help guru character he created and honed in comedy clubs while writing the script with Graham Gordy.

"Mitty" will compete for Myers' next live-action slot with "See Me, Feel Me: Keith Moon Naked for Your Pleasure," the Spitfire Pictures/Gerber Pictures drama in which Myers will play the hard-living drummer for the British rock group the Who. Playwright Donald Margulies ("Brooklyn Boy") has completed a first draft and will do a rewrite. The Who lead singer Roger Daltrey is aboard as a producer.

The CAA-repped Myers has several projects looming in the future. He is attached to star in "How to Survive a Robot Uprising," an adaptation of a humorous survival guide written by Daniel H. Wilson that is "Reno 911!" duo Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant are scripting for Par. Myers also has begun early discussions with New Line and director Jay Roach for a fourth installment of the "Austin Powers" series. While no writer has yet been assigned, Myers is eyeing a sequel that tells the story from the viewpoint of Dr. Evil.

Rodriguez Picks Barbarella

VARIETY: Rodriguez to direct 'Barbarella'
Remake written by 'Casino's' Purvis, Wade
By DIANE GARRETT
Posted: Mon., May 21, 2007, 5:01pm PT

Robert Rodriguez will helm the "Barbarella" redo for a 2008 Universal release.

The "Planet Terror" helmer is working with scribes Neal Purvis and Robert Wade on the remake of the 1968 film starring Jane Fonda as a futuristic mercenary. That version was produced by Dino De Laurentiis, who is producing the remake with Martha De Laurentiis.

Barbarella first appeared seven years earlier in a French comicbook written and illustrated by Jean-Claude Forest. De Laurentiis recently completed an acquisition deal with his son Julien (Daily Variety, April 12).

"I love this iconic character and all that she represents, and I'm truly excited by the challenge of inviting a new audience into her universe," Rodriguez said.

Dino De Laurentiis hinted at the flavor of the remake: "In our vision, the future is female, and I can't wait to introduce 'Barbarella' to a new generation of moviegoers," he said.

Purvis and Wade co-wrote "Casino Royale" and recently finished scripting the next installment in the Bond franchise, "Bond 22."

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So I guess Rose MacGowan will be in the orgasm machine this time.