Robert Downey Jr. remaking a stone-cold classic isn’t entirely well-received

In the latest chapter of “Hollywood can’t create new stories,” one of the greatest films of all time is going to be remade with Robert Downey Jr. likely to star, and movie fans are skeptical, to say the least.

It’s not just everyone that can successfully recreate Alfred Hitchcock’s work, especially one as ingenious as Vertigo, but Paramount has tapped Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight to give it his best shot. Although a modernized version of a lauded classic should be a recipe for success, film purists aren’t buying it. Some believe you shouldn’t touch a master’s work, while others think there have already been enough Vertigo-inspired movies to last a lifetime.

There have been countless modern films that have either been massively inspired by Hitchcock’s work or straight remakes of it. In 1998, Gus Van Sant directed and produced a new version of Psycho, while Andrew Davis took Dial M for Murder and transformed it into A Perfect Murder. Just recently, Armie Hammer and Lily James starred in a new version of Rebecca. It’s ungrateful work, because whatever the end product, the comparisons to Hitchcock, who just so happens to be one of the greatest directors in the history of cinema, are unavoidable.

When it comes to Vertigo, specifically, there have been a handful of movies with direct references or exploring the same themes. One of Hitchcock’s biggest fans, Brian de Palma, took from both Rear Window and Vertigo to make his ’80s gem Body Double, with the latter title also inspiring his 1976 film Obsession. Park Chan-wook’s 2022 underrated masterpiece Decision to Leave is also largely informed by Hitchcock’s 1958 classic.

Paramount’s Vertigo remake will be penned by Knight, with Downey set to produce, alongside his wife Susan Downey, and Davis Entertainment’s John Davis and John Fox. It’s still in the early stages of development, with no further details revealed as of yet.