Just a week ago, it was announced that James Wan would be producing a remake of ’80s frightener The Entity, and now another reboot of a classic horror film is in the works. StudioCanal is moving to develop a remake of Nicolas Roeg’s 1973 thriller Don’t Look Now, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman of The Picture Company are on board as producers. They’re the team behind Liam Neeson actioners Non-Stop and Unknown, as well as The Gunman and upcoming thriller Home Invasion. The pair’s espionage thriller The Tracking of a Russian Spy rolls cameras this fall, and they’re also working with Disney on Robin Hood project Nottingham and Hood.
Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie starred in Roeg’s original film, which followed a married couple grieving the accidental death of their young daughter. While in Venice, the couple come into contact with two Catholic nuns, one of whom claims to be a clairvoyant in touch with their dead child and bound to deliver an ominous message from beyond the grave. The pic was adapted from a short story by Daphne du Maurier, the author of Rebecca and The Birds.
Of course, casting will be key on this remake, because Don’t Look Now is most remembered not for its scares but for a sex scene that is widely considered one of the best ever committed to celluloid (as well as one of the most controversial, with some suggesting that Sutherland and Christie engaged in real intercourse on camera during production). The director is also important, seeing as Roeg’s style was so distinctive and eye-catching on the original.
The project is in the early stages of development, with no writer, director or cast attached. Given the original Don’t Look Now‘s high profile, StudioCanal is expected to make a push for top-tier actors and a recognizable director.
