Sony Pictures Releasing distributes this horror remake from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, based on the novel by Stephen King. Chloe Grace Moretz replaces Sissy Spacek as Carrie White, and Julianne Moroe steps in for Piper Laurie as Carrie’s mother, Margaret. Kimberly Peirce directed, from a screenplay adapted by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. Judy Greer, Gabriella Wilde, Portia Doubleday, and Alex Russell are also in the cast.
The teaser trailer suggests that the obliteration of the town (seen in the novel and the 2002 tele-film but not in the 1976 film directed by Brian DePalma) has been retained, which should increase the opportunity for on-screen mayhem and spectacular special effects. The potential pitfall in this gambit – and the reason the DePalma film works so well – is that Carrie’s rage is focused on the classmates who humiliate her; her revenge comes at the prom, and anything that follows is over-egging the blood-pudding.
Sony Pictures originally announced a March 15, 2013 release date, then in January pushed the film back to October 18.
Tag: remake
Nick Cave To Help Pen THE CROW Remake
There are few things that get a fan boy’s ire up like the word “remake” (see all YouTube comments on the upcoming film LET ME IN). But for fans of THE CROW, the 1994 film starring Brandon Lee in his last role, there finally comes some good news in regards to its upcoming revamp. According to TheWrap.com, Musician/Writer Nick Cave has been officially signed on to help rewrite the script originally written by the film’s director Stephen Norrington (BLADE, LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN). From TheWrap.com:
The last we heard about Relativity Media’s remake of “The Crow,” producer Ed Pressman told MTV that an offer was out to a “major actor” and director Stephen Norrington (“Blade”) had finished a “terrific” screenplay that would be set in two locations: “the southwest — the Mexico/Arizona area — and an urban [setting] — Detroit or Pittsburgh or something like that.”
Well apparently Norrington’s take wasn’t quite “terrific” enough, as Pressman recently told TheWrap that none other than iconic musician and acclaimed screenwriter Nick Cave has come on to rewrite the script.
Hiring Cave to rewrite Norrington’s script is a bold move, but it may prove to be worth it in the long run, as Cave may be the perfect choice to help resurrect the fading franchise.
For those unfamiliar with Nick Cave’s writing work, it is best on display in the 2005 Aussie-Western THE PROPOSITION, starring Ray Winstone & Guy Pierce – a definite must-see! This may be enough to put some minds at ease, though for the rest only time will tell. For those in the latter category, put Cave’s RED RIGHT HAND on your iPod…if the movie is half as cool as that song, then we’re all in for a treat!
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Romero to Remake Argento’s Deep Red
It seems as though George A Romero (NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, MARTIN) is letting the dead rest in pieces, at least for a short while. Variety are reporting that he’s set to remake Dario Argento’s (SUSPIRIA, TENEBRAE) 1975 Italian horror film, DEEP RED. The film is also, drum roll please, set to be shot in 3D.
The original DEEP RED is a classic in the giallo horror sub-genre, about a pianist (of all people) who is investigating a serial killer, only to find that the maniac is seemingly one step ahead of his every move. This will of course not be the first time Argento and Romero have been connected: Argento helped produce Romero’s DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978), and each of htem wrote and directed one episode of the two-part horror anthology TWO EVIL EYES. Argento’s brother, Claudio, is currently writing the script.
Romero’s decision to temporarily ditch his walking dead friends is no surprise as he usually takes a few years out of each ‘OF THE DEAD’ entry to focus on other projects. Hopefully the change of tact will reinvigorate the director as his last two films, DIARY OF THE DEAD and SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD were woefully bad, and he’ll do justice to the original film.
Romero is said to be deep into negotiations to direct the remake, with a plan to start shooting in Canada later this year.
Two Remakes of 20,000 Leagues Underway?
According to The Hollywood Reporter Sci-fi classic 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA is set for not one, but two remakes. Both Disney and 20th Century Fox are trying to get a remake in the works, with the former lining up David Fincher (FIGHT CLUB, ALIEN 3) and, the latter Timur Bekmambetov (NIGHT WATCH, WANTED), to direct.
20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA is a classic science fiction novel by Jules Verne and was published in 1869. LEAGUES tells the story of Captain Nemo and his underwater adventures in his submarine, Nautilus, and has been subject to numerous television and movie adaptations over the years. As the story is now in the public domain it’s relatively easy for anyone to make an adaptation, without the needs to purchase rights from the copyright owners. As such, two studios are plunging into the depths once more.
Disney originally had McG (TERMINATOR: SALVATION, CHARLIE’S ANGELS) working on a version of the film but ultimately thought it ‘too dark’. The studio is now in negotiations with David Fincher to direct and Scott Z. Burns (THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, CONTAGION) to write the remake. As surprising as it sounds (this is the man that brought us ZODIAC after all), Fincher apparently approached Disney’s new production head Sean Bailey himself stating his wish to tackle a major blockbuster film for the studio. Nothing is set in stone as of yet but Fincher and Burns have entered talks for deals.
Meanwhile 20th Century are also hard at work on their own version, which is said to be set in the future. Scott Free Productions (Ridley and Tony Scotts’ production company) are helming the film for the studio which is being written by Travis Beacham (CLASH OF THE TITANS)/ Again, no director is officially attached but Fox are apparently hoping to get Bekmambetov on board. Fox’s project quietly kicked-off shortly after the writers strike when Beacham is said to have approached the Scotts with his take on the story, which the studio then bought.
So it’s battle stations go as the two studios go head-to-head, each presumably hoping to get their version of the film out first. Hollywood is no stranger to this sort of affair, we currently have two versions of THE THREE MUSKETEERS coming up and there were the two films focusing on Truman Capote which were released a few years back. All things considered, which version are you more excited about?
Krueger Sequel Already in the Works
Talk about speedy work as The Wrap have the scoop that a sequel to the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET remake is being planned a mere five days since its release. The news of a sequel doesn’t come as too much of a surprise, since the film has done so well at the box office, and neither does the news it’s possibly, that’s right, to be shot in 3D.
Distribution president at Warner Bros, Dan Fellman, tells The Wrap,
“We don’t have a story yet, but this is the largest horror opening in the April-May corridor, and it just proves there’s a lot left in the franchise”.
Meanwhile producer Andrew Form told Dread Central,
“Platinum Dunes is very open to the possibility of a NIGHTMARE sequel. It would be amazing to work with Jackie and the cast again. Unfortunately, as far as we know right now, Sam wouldn’t be back to direct the follow-up, but we’d love to come back to Elm Street because Freddy always has a story to tell. We definitely left ourselves open for a sequel so it would be a great privilege to get to do another NIGHTMARE film.”
Fellow producer, Brad Fuller, added,
I think that making the NIGHTMARE sequel in 3D is a bigger discussion than for right here. We think that 3D movies have to be designed and written as such. If Eric Heisserer and Wesley Strick came to us with a NIGHTMARE script that is for a 3D movie, we’d be fools not to make it.”
It’s seems you can count on Hollywood for two things these days. First, it’s that they’ll milk a cash cow for all it’s worth if they think there’s mileage left in it. By all accounts the NOES remake is pretty terrible but since it’s made a lot of money they’re obviously going to drag the franchise out as long as they can. Secondly, any film that’s being made right now is at least being considered for 3D and hey, probably even one’s that have already been made (here’s looking at you, CLASH OF THE TITANS).
Paramount Making The Ring 3
According to The Hollywood Reporter Paramount are giving horror series THE RING, which is based on the Japanese originals, another shot. The studio are planning to make THE RING 3 with a younger cast in mind and of course, want to shoot it in 3D.
The original RING films were about a mysterious and cursed videotape which once watched would mean certain death as the ghost of a teenage girl came to, ahem, ‘visit’ the viewer. It’s been a long time since much was heard about American RING series; the first instalment arrived way back in 2002 and was followed by a sequel in 2005. In the wake of Paramount and DreamWorks’ split they’ve had to divide their projects and it seems Paramount have been given the rights to gear up for a second RING sequel.
David Loucka (BOARDERLINE, DREAM HOUSE) has been hired to pen the film which will follow the recent Hollywood trend of casting younger actors in the lead roles, most likely in order to save money and further identify with a younger target audience. Paramount are also jumping on the 3D bandwagon with THE RING 3 and although 3D is getting rather tiresome, the idea of Samara lurching out of the cinema screen at the audience is pretty haunting.
Breck Eisner Escaping New York
According to The Hollywood Reporter Breck Eisner (THE CRAZIES, SAHARA) is in negotiations to direct the remake of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK for New Line. The studio have been trying to get a remake of the 1980s action film off the ground for a while now but seem to have finally settled on Eisner as the man to helm the project.
New Line secured the rights to remake ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK way back in March 2007 with Gerard Butler (300, GAMER) attached to star and Ken Nolan (BLACK HAWK DOWN) writing a script. The project was then banished to development hell as it lost Butler, was passed onto the usual array of writers and lost its director. Now it seems the remake is back on track but is still missing one thing; a lead actor.
The original film, directed by none other than John Carpenter (HALLOWEEN, THE THING), was set in a futuristic 1997 in which Manhattan had been turned into a giant maximum-security prison. The U.S. president’s plane crashes on the island, and ex-con Snake Plissken (played by legendary actor Kurt Russell) is coerced into a leading the rescue mission. Whether or not the remake will follow the originals plot this accurately is unknown at present.
Eisner did a surprisingly good job at remaking THE CRAZIES but Romero’s original film was in dire need of remaking; ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK is not. I’m all for a remake if the original film doesn’t stand up today but ESCAPE still does and I can only see New Line making it worse, not better.
Cinefantastique Online will bring you more on this project as it develops.
New Poster for Nightmare on Elm Street
New entry in the enduring horror remake trend, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, is almost upon us but Empire have managed to get their hands on a new poster for the film:
The remake of the 80s slasher classic A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET is being directed by Samuel Bayer (music video director) with Jackie Earle Haley (WATCHMEN, SHUTTER ISLAND) playing the part of Freddy Krueger. Based upon the trailers released thus far the film seems to stay very close to the original storyline which saw a supernatural serial-killer killing off a group of teenagers in their dreams.
Most of the horror remakes that have plagued cinema screens since the early 2000s have been terrible, but a select few have actually been pretty decent. Whether NIGHTMARE will fit in the former or latter category is anyone’s guess at this point but the trailers are looking rather promising and Haley is a brilliant choice to replace Robert Englund. This new one-sheet, which is brilliantly simple yet striking, also shows potential.
A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET is released on the 30th of April.
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Vincenzo Natali Wants to Adapt Moore's Swamp Thing
Vincenzo Natali, the director of CUBE and the upcoming sci-fi horror film SPLICE, has expressed his interest in adapting Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing comic book series to MTV News. Comic book character Swamp Thing has appeared in numerous films and television series but so far none have tackled Moore’s specific interpretation of the creature.
Alan Moore, famous for penning such comics as From Hell, Watchmen and V for Vendetta, has had an extremely difficult time dealing with the film adaptations of his work. He even went as far as to ask not to be credited on any after the release THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN but his run on the Swamp Thing series was a deep, interesting and unique portrayal of the titular character. Here’s what Natali had to say about the series,
“There are two incarnations of Swamp Thing — both of them are quite wonderful. The first one was by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson, which was a more traditional sort of retake on classic, James Whale-style, Universal Studio horror films. Then Alan Moore reinvented the character in the early ’80s, and that’s actually the version that’s a little more interesting to me”.
He adds,
“[Swamp Thing] kind of became… I don’t want to call him an ecological superhero, but he became an ecological character quite unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. It’s a comic book, but it delves into some very interesting stuff, both psychological and philosophical”.
From the sounds of it, Natali really understands the comics and although his previous films haven’t been of outstanding quality, they’ve always shown promise so I’m behind the idea. I dare not wonder what Moore thinks of it though…
Cybersurfing: Clash of the Titans premiere and box office
Variety has a couple of brief items regarding the launch of CLASH OF THE TITANS, the weekend’s big fantasy extravaganza, based on the 1981 production from Ray Harryhausen and Charles Schneer. The new film had its premiere at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, where not only the cast and crew of the remake showed up but also Harry Hamlin (star of the original).
Opening with early screenings on Thursday, the new CLASH earned $4.2-million in approximately 3,000 theatres nationwide – not bad but not enough to surpass last weekend’s box office winner HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, whih nabbed $5.2-million.
UPDATE: CLASH OF THE TITANS earned $28-million on Friday, suggesting that it should earn $67-million during its opening weekend (Friday to Sunday). This would be a record for the Easter weekend – not traditionally a peak movie-going time.
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