When Argentinian film The Secret In Their Eyes picked up an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2010, an American remake was quickly announced (of course). Set up at Warner Bros. with Billy Ray (Shattered Glass, Captain Phillips) on scripting and directing duties, several actors have flirted with the project, including Denzel Washington. Now, the studio has found its two leads, as THR eports that Chiwetel Ejiofor and Gwyneth Paltrow will star in the upcoming remake.
While the story will stay mostly the same, there will be a few changes. The remake will have Ejiofor as an MI-5 agent who goes to Boston to help the FBI “close the books on an unsolved murder.” When the truth is revealed though, it leads to a shocking discovery that no one could have ever expected.
While I do remember enjoying Argentina’s Oscar-winning film when I saw it a couple of years ago, thanks to some very strong performances and a truly engrossing mystery at its core, I do think that it was bit over-hyped and fail to see why we really need a remake. Then again though, most remakes these days are pointless and only end up ruining the reputation of the original (see: Spike Lee’s Oldboy).
Regardless, the cast attached here is quite impressive and it’s hard not to start getting excited. Ejiofor is red hot at the moment, and is likely being flooded with offers. So to see him put his name to this must mean that there’s a great script in place. And with Ray on writing duties, why wouldn’t there be? The scribe proved that he can deliver edge of your seat suspense and high intensity thrills with last year’s Captain Phillips, and I see no reason why he won’t be able to do the same here.
The Secret in Their Eyes is currently at Cannes searching for a buyer, so expect to hear more on the project very shortly. For now though, tell us, are you happy to see that the film is being remade? If so, what do you think of these two casting choices?
