Hot off her six seasons on CW’s The Vampire Diaries, actress Nina Dobrev is looking to branch out into bigger things. And the actress may have made all the right incisions into Hollywood with a possible role in the Flatliners remake.
Deadline reports that Dobrev is in talks with Sony for a lead in Niels Arden Oplev’s reboot of the medical thriller. If she signs on, she’ll star alongside Diego Luna (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) and Ellen Page. If cast, Dobrev would star as Marlo, an honor student at the med school. And assuming Oplev (Sweden’s Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) and writer Ben Ripley’s film runs parallel to the original, she’ll team up with Luna, Page and other students to push the boundaries of life and death.
Released in 1990, Flatliners starred Keifer Sutherland, Julia Roberts and Kevin Bacon. The film opens with the line “today is a good day to die,” portending the dark tone as Sutherland and his gaggle of bright medicos use near-death experimentation to seek hidden truths in the afterlife. Naturally, things don’t exactly wind up as planned, leading to dangerous hallucinations.
Flatliners could represent a major break for Dobrev, who is currently shooting Paramount’s Vin Diesel sequel XxX: The Return of Xander Cage. She also signed on for the drama Arrivals with Maisie Williams and Asa Butterfield. If Sony’s reboot can emulate the success of its predecessor, it could elevate Dobrev and its stars to new heights.
Of course, the instant groan factor is – yes, another unnecessary remake. Still, the original film feels rather dated by modern standards. And Oplev has also proven himself to be a skilled director capable of weaving a taught story. If he can blend the intensity of the original with cinemagoers’ renewed fascination about the paranormal, his update of Flatliners could even outdo the 1990 version. Only time will tell, though.
