Saturday, October 9, 2010

50 "In-Process" Movie Remakes coming soon

The folks over at nextmovie.com have previewed 50 Remakes that are Coming Soon to a theatre near you...whether you like it or not.



‘Red Dawn’
Attached: Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Josh Hutcherson, Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Status: Hemsworth (“Thor”) headlines this updating of the 1984 cold war classic, which this time around features an invasion from China rather than the Soviet Union. First-time director and former stuntman Dan Bradley has kept the rest of the premise intact though, so expect to see plenty of heroics from America’s youth as they lead a Midwestern resistance against our commie foes. This film has been completed and has been delayed a couple times now by its struggling distributor, MGM.
Release Date/Year: November 24, 2010 (supposedly)

‘The Tourist’
Attached: Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Paul Bettany
Status: Depp stretches his acting skill to the max in this remake of the 2005 French thriller “Anthony Zimmer” — he has to play a totally average guy. “The Lives of Others” director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck helms this adaptation, which also stars the totally non-average Angelina Jolie as the dangerous spy who gets Depp caught up in a deadly game on intrigue along the canals of Venice.
Release Date/Year: December 10, 2010

‘True Grit’
Attached: Hailee Steinfeld, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Jeff Bridges
Status: Joel and Ethan Coen went back to the original source material for their version of the 1968 novel “True Grit” by Charles Portis, meaning this remake of 1969′s John Wayne movie technically isn’t a remake at all. Still, considering Wayne won his only Oscar for the role of Marshall Rooster Cogburn (this time played by Oscar winner Bridges), there’s sure to be plenty of comparisons made when this lands on Christmas day.
Release Date/Year: December 25, 2010

Footloose
Attached: Kenny Wormald, Andie MacDowell, Dennis Quaid
Status: Director Craig Brewer is no stranger to big screen musicals: his indie smash “Hustle & Flow” earned two Academy Award nominations. He’s already faced his share of obstacles with “Footloose,” though; after headliners Zac Efron and Chace Crawford both dropped out of the lead role, Brewer had to turn to his third choice, Kenny Wormald, star of MTV’s “Dancelife.” Still no word yet on whether Kevin Bacon will make an appearance in the film or not.
Release Date/Year: April 1, 2011

‘The Thing’
Attached: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Eric Christian Olsen, Joel Edgerton
Status: Coming off her breakout role in “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” Winstead headlines this prequel to John Carpenter’s 1982 shockfest “The Thing,” which itself was a remake of the 1951 sci-fi thriller “The Thing From Another World.” Whew. This time around, the film, which is being directed by first timer Matthijs van Heijningen Jr., features a much younger cast than the prior versions, with Joel Edgerton taking the lead.
Release Date/Year: April 29, 2011

‘Child’s Play’
Attached: Brad Dourif
Status: Universal is keeping the details of their latest deadly doll adventure under close wraps, but we do know that original writer Don Mancini is back on board — and this time around he’ll be directing as well. Also back for another go-round is Brad Dourif, who will once again provide the voice of Chucky. “Machete” star Danny Trejo is among a number of rumored cast members, along with Jensen Ackles and Lauren Graham.
Release Date/Year: July, 2011

‘Straw Dogs’
Attached: Alexander Skarsgard, James Woods, James Marsden, Kate Bosworth
Status: “The Contender” director Rod Lurie takes on this controversial and ultra-violent 1971 Sam Peckinpah film about a couple who move to the country only to find that small-town harassment can be just as bad as anything they faced in the big city. James Marsden steps into the lead role made famous by Dustin Hoffman, while “True Blood” hunk Alexander Skarsgard is on board as the leader of the local ruffians.
Release Date: September 16, 2011

‘Fright Night’
Attached: Colin Farrell, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots
Status: “Lars and the Real Girl” director Craig Gillespie is currently filming this remake of the 1985 horror-comedy about a kid who believes his new neighbors are vampires — and of course turns out to be right. “Star Trek’s” Anton Yelchin plays the lead, with McLovin himself (Mintz-Plasse) as the best friend and charismatic bad boy Colin Farrell playing the vampire.
Release Date/Year: October 7, 2011

‘The Three Musketeers’
Attached: Logan Lerman, Matthew Macfadyen, Christoph Waltz, Milla Jovovich, Orlando Bloom
Status: “Resident Evil” mastermind Paul W. S. Anderson directs his wife Jovovich once again in the latest version of the classic 1844 novel by Alexandre Dumas. This latest effort, which is being filmed in 3-D, marks at least the 20th time “The Three Musketeers” has been adapted for the big screen. Bloom, the world’s premiere swashbuckler thanks to “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Lord of the Rings,” co-stars — but not as a Musketeer. Lost opportunity.
Release Date/Year: October 14, 2011

‘Arthur’
Attached: Russell Brand, Jennifer Garner, Nick Nolte, Helen Mirren
Status: Brand takes over the title role from the legendary Dudley Moore, playing a drunken playboy, ironic considering that Brand himself is stone sober after shedding his addictions. Dame Helen Mirren plays Arthur’s butler, a role popularized by another member of the acting aristocracy, Sir John Geilgud. “Arthur” just recently wrapped filming on location in New York City.
Release Date/Year: 2011

‘Battle Royale’
Attached: N/A
Status: One of the most hotly anticipated horror remakes in recent memory, “Battle Royale” has been languishing in development hell for years; a remake of the shocking 2000 Japanese film of the same name about a group of teenagers forced to fight to the death on a deserted island, “Battle Royale” is still tentatively scheduled for 2011 release despite having no director or stars attached. Very tentatively.
Release Date/Year: 2011

‘Commando’
Attached: Sam Worthington
Scoop: “Avatar” and “Clash of the Titans” star Worthington is set to fill Arnold Schwarzenegger’s combat boots in this remake of the Governator’s 1985 ode to machine guns and one-liners. The rest of the cast is still up in the air – no word yet on who will play the kidnapped daughter (originally Alyssa Milano) – but “Training Day” writer David Ayer is on board to both write and direct the new version.
Release Date: 2011

‘Conan’
Attached: Jason Momoa, Rachel Nichols, Ron Perlman, Stephen Lang
Status: Momoa of “Stargate Atlantis” fame has a big loincloth to fill as he takes over the role that made Arnold Schwarzeneggar a household name. Buzz has already been building over the return of the original fantasy hero to the big screen, but not for the reason you may expect; leaked set photos of topless barbarian women from an apparent orgy sequence have overshadowed the usual swords and sorcery chatter online.
Release Date/Year: 2011

‘Creature From the Black Lagoon’
Attached: N/A
Status: First-time director Carl Rinsch got the job after “Sahara’s” Breck Eisner passed. Both Rinsch and fans of the original 1954 version are in good hands, though; screenwriter Gary Ross, who penned the updated script, is the son of original “Creature From the Black Lagoon” writer Arthur Ross. No stars are yet attached.
Release Date/Year: 2011

The Crow
Attached: N/A
Status: Despite the fact that no lead has yet been selected, this update of the 1994 goth comic book adventure is still on the fast track for a 2011 release; director Stephen Norrington, who previously brought comic book properties “Blade” and “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” to the big screen (with wildly different results), is currently casting and expects to shoot before the end of the year.
Release Date/Year: 2011

‘Death Note’
Attached: N/A
Status: The good news for Warner Bros. regarding their remake of this 2006 Japanese horror hit is that they already have a script in hand from the brother team of Vlas and Charley Parlapanides (“Immortals”). Plus, the original story, about a guy who finds an evil notebook that kills anyone whose name is written inside it, has proven to be popular in everything from manga to anime to live action. Still, no stars or director have yet been attached, making the 2011 target date seem unlikely at best.
Release Date/Year: 2011

‘Death Wish’
Attached: Sylvester Stallone
Status: Ever since Charles Bronson’s original “Death Wish” hit theaters in 1974, its tale of a man seeking revenge for the death of his family has become the basic template for an entire genre, rendering a remake almost inevitable. Sly Stallone is currently attached as director and star; given the success of “The Expendables,” “Death Wish” is likely to get the fast track treatment should Stallone sign the dotted line.
Release Date/Year: 2011

‘The Howling’
Attached: N/A
Status: Director Joe Nimziki isn’t exactly a household name — he has just one episode of “The Outer Limits” on his resume — but that isn’t stopping him from both helming and writing this remake of the 1981 horror flick about a city couple who get more than they bargained for when they move to the country (like werewolves). The film was originally expected to be released this year, but since no cast has been chosen, that seems unlikely; production is proceeding, though, and the film should see the light of day sometime next year.
Release Date/Year: 2011

‘Judge Dredd’
Attached: Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby
Status: The good news for director Pete Travis (“Vantage Point”) and star Urban (“Star Trek,” “The Lord of the Rings”) is that they won’t have to do much to meet fan expectations; Sylvester Stallone’s 1995 version of “Judge Dredd” is widely considered the low point of his career and led to a decade of flops and cameos. Better news for fans: “28 Days Later” scribe Alex Garland, who is handling the screenplay, has vowed to return to the character’s original, gritty comic book roots.
Release Date/Year: 2011

‘Overboard’
Attached: Jennifer Lopez, Julian Scott Urena
Status: J-Lo is set to take time out from her “American Idol” judging gig to star in the remake of the 1989 romantic comedy that originally paired real-life couple Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn as a mismatched pair that meets cute (sorta) after she tumbles off a ship. Will Smith is producing.
Release Date/Year: 2011

‘Porky’s’
Attached: N/A
Status: Howard Stern has been ramrodding this remake of the raunchy 1981 teenage sex comedy through the system, with little success to show for it. Until now, that is; a script has reportedly been completed, meaning the goal of a 2011 release date now seems likely, as is the idea of giving the feature the unwieldy name “Howard Stern’s Porky’s.”
Release Date/Year: 2011

‘Short Circuit’
Attached: N/A
Status: “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” director Steve Carr is developing this remake of the 1986 fan favorite about a sentient robot named Johnny Five who goes on the lam. In a pleasantly oddball pick, “Robot Chicken” and “Greg the Bunny” scribe Dan Milano has been tapped to write the screenplay, which is being produced by “Collateral Damage’s” David Foster for Dimension Films.
Release Date/Year: 2011

The Warriors
Attached: Brenna Roth
Status: Director Tony Scott is no stranger to remakes, having helmed “Taking of Pelham 1 2 3″ and produced “The A-Team.” His latest effort takes on the seminal 1979 gang flick “The Warriors;” this time around, the action has been moved from New York to Los Angeles for the story of a group of gang members who have to make their way through enemy territory to escape a bogus murder rap. A script has reportedly been completed.
Release Date/Year: 2011

‘The Blob’
Attached: N/A
Status: This remake of the 1958 horror classic “The Blob” — which was already remade once back in 1988 — appeared to be on the development fast track with “Halloween” director Rob Zombie attached to helm and his scream-queen wife Sheri Moon Zombie on board to star. Zombie, however, has since dropped out, weary of the remake game, leaving this production up in the air.
Release Date/Year: 2011 is appearing less and less likely

‘All Quiet on the Western Front’
Attached: Daniel Radcliffe, Bernard Hill
Status: Winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Director, the 1930 version of “All Quiet on the Western Front” was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation on their Film Registry. Cool as it is, though, that adaptation of Erich Remarque’s classic novel about the horrors of trench warfare during World War I didn’t feature Harry Potter; as lead character Paul, Radcliffe should help further establish himself as a serious adult actor. No director is yet attached.
Release Date: 2012

‘Barbarella’
Attached: N/A
Status: Legendary producer Dino De Laurentis is back with another version of “Barbarella,” the sci-fi sex comedy which he originally put together for Jane Fonda back in 1969. This time around, Rose McGowan was originally rumored to be taking on the lead role, but appears to have moved on; meanwhile screenwriter Joe Gazzam is hard at work on a script, which may or may not be directed by Robert Luketic. The announced 2012 release date seems iffy at best.
Release Date/Year: 2012

‘The Black Hole’
Attaczed: Hayden Panettiere
Status: “Clash of the Titans” writer Travis Beacham is behind the latest attempt to re-imagine Disney’s 1979 sci-fi epic “The Black Hole, which is now slated to be directed by “Tron: Legacy” helmer Joseph Kosinski. Also on board is “Heroes” ingĂ©nue Hayden Panettiere, who will apparently be playing an all-new character; the rest of the cast, however, has yet to be announced.
Release Date/Year: 2012

‘Mad Max’
Attached: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Theresa Palmer, Zoe Kravitz
Status: Hardy follows up his breakout role as “The Forger” in “Inception” with an even more action-packed role; this new take on Mel Gibson’s classic “Mad Max” reportedly features over 300 different stunts. Gibson isn’t expected to appear in the film, which may be a good thing considering his current status as Hollywood pariah.
Release Date/Year: 2012

‘Westworld’
Attached: Russell Crowe
Status: Crowe is rumored to be attached to this updating of Michael Crichton’s 1973 sci-fi cautionary adventure, which tells the story of two people who, after becoming trapped in a futuristic theme park, are hunted by the park’s animatronic cast members. As you might guess, this isn’t a Disney film; Warner Bros. is currently working with “The Karate Kid” producer Jerry Weintraub to get it ready for production.
Release Date/Year: 2012

‘The NeverEnding Story’
Attached: N/A
Status: Frank Marshall may seem like an unlikely choice to reinvent the 1984 fantasy about a kid who travels to an alternate universe and rides and befriends a giant luckdragon; after all, he’s best known for producing adult fare like “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ and the “Bourne” series. Still, he has the experience to help untangle the complex legal issues regarding the film rights and with Leonardo DiCaprio also on board as an executive producer, “The NeverEnding Story” may finally be close to having a beginning.
Release Date/Year: 2012

‘Pet Sematary’
Attached: N/A
Status: Stephen King’s classic horror novel “Pet Sematary” is about to get its second adaptation courtesy of “Transformers” producer Lorenzo di Bonaventuara, who has already brought “1408″ scribe Matt Greenberg and “Invasion” writer David Kajhanich on board to pen an R-rated version.
Release Date/Year: 2012

‘Yellow Submarine’
Attached: Cary Elwes, Peter Serafinowicz, Adam Campbell, Dean Lennox Kelly
Status: Perhaps the strangest Hollywood remake yet, “Yellow Submarine” is a big budget 3-D animated reworking of the classic Beatles cartoon from 1968. “Beowulf” director Robert Zemeckis brings his patented motion capture, photo-realistic rendering of live action actors to this new version. Ambitious to say the least.
Release Date/Year: 2012

‘Heavy Metal’
Attached: Jack Black
Status: David Fincher leads a legion of high-profile directors trying to pull together this anthology remake of the 1981 sci-fi film based on the comic book magazine of the same name. James Cameron, Zack Snyder, Gore Verbinski and Kevin Eastman are just some of the other directors in the mix to film short segments; Jack Black has also been confirmed, though in what role it’s hard to guess. The project does currently lack two essentials: a distributor and financier.
Release Date/Year: 2012, money permitting

‘Dune’
Attached: N/A
Status: This big-budget, big-expectation adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi novel “Dune” is currently being re-re-imagined after director Peter Berg dropped out of the project. “Taken” helmer Pierre Morel has signed on to replace Berg, but he also wants to replace the entire script to be more faithful to the book, meaning they are essentially starting again from the ground up.
Release Date/Year: 2012 at the earliest

My Fair Lady
Attached: Carey Mulligan, Emma Thompson (screenwriter/producer)
Status: Mulligan has a closet full of shoes to fill as Eliza, the working class girl who is turned into a paragon of the upper crust as part of a social experiment; not only is she stepping into a role that Audrey Hepburn made famous, she’s also replacing Keira Knightley, who dropped out of the production along with director John Madden.
Release Date/Year: Unknown, but now looking like 2013

‘Akira’
Attached: N/A
Status: Katsuhiro Otomo’s 1988 masterpiece “Akira” is considered one of the seminal films in the history of anime and animation in general. The cartoon, though, only covered a small portion of the original comic book series, something Warner Bros. is looking to capitalize on with a series that presents the entire story — in live action. “Iron Man” scribes Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby have written a script that may be directed by the Hughes Brothers.
Release Date/Year: 2013

‘The Birds’
Attached: Naomi Watts
Status: Everything is in place for this big-budget remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic 1963 horror film “The Birds:” them movie has a director (Dennis Iliadis), a bankable star (Naomi Watts) and a completed screenplay (writers too numerous to mention). What it doesn’t have yet is a greenlight from Universal, which explains why the original 2011 release date has been pushed back to 2013.
Release Date/Year: 2013

‘Escape From New York’
Attached: Timothy Olyphant or Bradley Cooper
Status: Fresh from his success reworking the cult horror film “The Crazies,” director Breck Eisner has turned his attention to John Carpenter’s sci-fi nightmare “Escape From New York,” which imagines a future where the Big Apple is a giant prison. Olyphant and Cooper are currently under consideration to take over Kurt Russell’s role as one-eyed badass Snake Plissken, but no deal has yet been signed with either.
Release Date/Year: 2013

‘The Phantom Tollbooth’
Attached: N/A
Status: “Seabiscuit” writer/director/producer Gary Ross is in the process of developing this re-imagination of the 1970 Chuck Jones animated feature, which itself is an adaptation of the beloved children’s fantasy book by Norton Juster. Like the Jones version, this new edition will feature a mix of live action and animation to tell the story of a boy who travels to a magical world. Ross is still working on the script, so no casting has yet been done.
Release Date/Year: 2013

‘The Orphanage’
Attached: Kaley Cuoco
Status: “The Big Bang Theory’s” Kaley Cuoco is slated to star in this English-language version of the acclaimed Guillermo Del Toro-produced 2007 horror film “El Orfanato.” Little-known director Mark Pellington takes over as director, but don’t worry; Del Toro is producing again from a script he co-wrote.
Release Date/Year: 2013

‘Poltergeist’
Attached: N/A
Status: The long-awaited remake of the iconic 1982 horror film may finally be gaining some traction; after delays forced the release date to be pushed back to 2013, “Poltergeist” has finally found a director in “The House of Sand and Fog’s” Vadim Perelman. Also on board: the writing team of Juliet Snowden and Stiles White, who previously brought the world “Boogeyman” and “Knowing.”
Release Date/Year: 2013

‘An American Werewolf in London’
Attached: N/A
Status: Producer Sean Furst knows a thing or two about horror remakes, having helped bring “Let Me In” and “The Crazies” updates to the screen. He and his brother, co-producer Bryan Furst, have optioned “An American Werewolf in London” and have hired “The Number 23″ writer Fernley Phillips to pen the screenplay. Decisions about cast and crew are awaiting the script’s completion.
Release Date/Year: Unknown

‘Drop Dead Fred’
Attached: Russell Brand
Status: When “Drop Dead Fred” hit theaters back in 1991, its blackly funny look at a girl whose life is turned upside down by the return of her now-adult imaginary friend didn’t exactly set the box office on fire. But Universal thinks it can top the original’s $13 million take thanks to the presence of Russell Brand, who is set to play the title character in a new version penned by former “Saturday Night Live” head writer Dennis McNicholas.
Release Date/Year: unknown

‘F/X’
Attached: N/A
Status: This one is still so early in the development process that it doesn’t seem to have anyone attached to it, even a producer, much less a director or actors. Still, reports surfaced earlier this year that MGM is looking to redo the Brian Dennehy vehicle about a special effects artist who finds his life in danger after he helps fake a mobster’s death for the witness protection plan. Considering how far special effects have come since 1986, this could be an interesting showcase.
Release Date/Year: Unknown

‘Honey, I Shrunk the Kids’
Attached: N/A
Status: Not much is known about this hush-hush attempt to remake the popular Rick Moranis series about a nutty scientist who accidentally shrinks his family to microscopic proportions. Moranis has retired from acting, so we do know he isn’t involved, but otherwise the only information from Disney is that a script is being worked on.
Release Date/Year: Unknown

Meatballs
Attached: N/A
Status: Still in the early stages of development, this modernization of the raunchy 1979 summer camp classic is being shepherded to the big screen by a somewhat unlikely team: director John Whitesell is best known for “Big Momma’s House,” while writers Sean Anders and John Morris most recently hit it big with “Hot Tub Time Machine.”
Release Date/Year: Unknown

‘Robocop’
Attached: Darren Aronofsky (director)
Status: Like everything else at beleaguered MGM, the status of the new “Robocop” remake is up in the air until the studio figures out its finances. Still, here’s what we do know: acclaimed director Darren Aronofsky (“The Wrestler,” “Black Swan”) is attached to film a script by “Road to Perdition” scribe David Self once its distributor gets their business in order.
Release Date/Year: Unknown

‘Romancing the Stone’
Attached: N/A
Status: 20th Century Fox is still in the early stages of this remake of the 1984 adventure movie that starred Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner as an unlikely couple who spars over a giant gemstone. “Killers” director Robert Luketic was rumored to be eying the film as a possible vehicle for Katherine Heigl, but that appears to be increasingly unlikely, leaving “Eagle Eye” writer Dan McDermott’s new screenplay up in the air.
Release Date/Year: Unknown

‘Suspicion’
Attached: Will Smith
Status: Alfred Hitchcock’s 1941 film “Suspicion,” which was based on the 1932 Frances Iles novel “Before the Fact,” earned a Best Picture nomination for its story of a man who marries into money and who may or may not be plotting to kill his wife for the insurance payoff. Will Smith is reportedly looking to produce a remake with himself in the lead role — a role originally played by Cary Grant. The project has yet to find a home, though, so this one is still a long ways off.
Release Date/Year: unknown

‘Fletch’
Attached: Everyone and/or No One
Status: Pretty much nothing is known about the proposed prequel/reboot/remake of Chevy Chase’s beloved “Fletch” franchise; everyone from John Cusack to Zach Braff to Chase himself has been rumored to star in this movie, which has languished in development hell for well over a decade now. Word is a script based on the novel “Fletch Won” has actually been completed, though, so this movie may finally be moving towards reality.
Release Date/Year: Infinity +1

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