The Guardian (27/Jun/2007) - Hollywood to remake early Hitchcock thriller
(c) The Guardian (27/Jun/2007)
- http://film.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2112762,00.html
- keywords: Alfred Hitchcock, Disturbia (2007), Gus Van Sant, MacGuffin, Psycho (1960), Rear Window (1954), The Birds (1963), The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927), Tippi Hedren
Hollywood to remake early Hitchcock thriller
After Psycho and The Birds, Hollywood is planning another remake of an Alfred Hitchcock movie. This time it's the turn of The Lodger, a 1927 silent film the British director made in London in the early stages of his career. The Lodger tells the story of a mysterious man who rents a room at the Bloomsbury house of the Bunting family at a time when the capital is terrified by a serial killer, known as The Avenger, who murders only blonde women. The landlords quickly suspect their puzzling resident might be the murderer.
The remake will be set in modern-day Los Angeles and revolve around a copycat killer, according to Variety. The man in charge will be the relatively unknown David Ondaatje, who will make his feature-length debut with The Lodger. He will also write and produce the film. Ondaatje is well acquainted with the work of the celebrated British director. His previous film was a short entitled Waiting for Dr MacGuffin, billed as a tribute to Hitchcock - MacGuffin refers to a plot device Hitchcock often used in his movies.
Hitchcock's work remains a popular source for Hollywood remakes. Gus Van Sant memorably re-shot Psycho frame-by-frame in 1998 and received a critical and commercial mauling for his trouble. Earlier this year, the teen-targeted thriller Disturbia, a modern-day homage to 1954's Rear Window, became a box office hit across the pond. And 1963's The Birds is also to be remade, with Naomi Watts possibly reprising the role made famous by Tippi Hedren.