Did Slashfilm piss off the Ghost of April Fool’s Day? Topping off a day of odd movie announcements and rumors, Variety reports that director Werner Herzog (Grizzly Man, Aguirre: Wrath of God) will helm a remake of Abel Ferrara’s NC-17 classic Bad Lieutenant starring Nicolas Cage in the title role, formerly inhabited, and fantastically so, by Harvey Keitel back in ‘92. The remake is scheduled to begin filming late summer. Like Point Break 2, first word of this remake arrived last year and I believe that Ferrara himself was considering it.
For those who haven’t seen it (do so), Keitel starred as a corrupt New York cop strenuously spiraling into an abyss of narcotics, thievery, naked disorientation, and betting/losing his monies on Darryl Strawberry (the irony). Ferrara’s is one of my favorite depictions of New York in film, because the city’s garbage and vice seeps into Keitel’s character until he’s forced to flush it out and face the consequences. And it may sound sensational, but the movie’s recurring theme of faith is like a punch in the gut and quite effective.
Apparently, Herzog’s remake will update the time period and cop to post-9/11. Last year, FilmStalker parlayed that the script by TV writer/producer William M. Finkelstein (NYPD Blue, Murder One) contained the following plot points…
According to the story Finkelstein is bringing the character back to life with a backstory of drug addiction, the showing of his promotion to Sergeant, the drug related murders of five illegal immigrants and a name for the character. Other than that they say that the drugs, sex, stealing and gambling are still going to play a major part in the story.
Hopefully this doesn’t turn into a case of “who’s bad?” between ‘92 NYC and ’00s NYC. That would make as much sense as remaking Larry Clark’s Kids in the present day. Respected producer Edward R. Pressman, who backed the original film, is on board again along with a long line-up of other producers including Stephen Belafonte and Nu Image/Millennium’s Danny Dimbort. I am a big fan of Herzog and dig/ignore a lot of Cage’s work, but I’m not yet convinced this will be anything other than a harder, more intimate version of Training Day.
Discuss: The talent involved strikes interest, but is an update needed? Who cares about debating whether Hollywood should remake the film, because they will remake anything, but do you personally think the times call for a new Bad Lieutenant, as it seems it will be heavy on commentary? I know we’ll get a lot of “well, it could be worse” below, but try to avoid that treaded route if you’ve seen the original. Add insight.
May 13th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
I like Herzog…but why does this need to be remade?
May 13th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
this DOES NOT need to be remade. leave it alone grizzly man!
May 13th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
Jesus Christ! I would rather a sequel than remake
May 13th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
Absolutely does NOT need to be remade. This is bullshit.
May 13th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
I can’t stand when people think modernizing “anything” means to put a stamp on it post 911. People can still apply a film like this and it’s “philosophies” which was made in 1992 to today or whatever else.
I don’t need someone pasting it on top of some ‘recent’ beaten-to-death backdrop. This is idiotic.
And Cage doing Keitel’s part? Not even close.
May 13th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
bad LT. is one of the most disturbingly insane films that just resonates in my gut. it just.. works. the non-stop betting on a “cant lose” team, pulling over hot chicks to “interrogate” them… im with everyone else. this movie does NOT need to be reworked. i think its a perfect piece that does what it set out to do, very well.
May 13th, 2008 at 11:15 pm
As an admirer of Herzog, Keitel and occasionally Cage (seriously, he’s not even close to Keitel’s intensity) - this is a waste of time. It won’t work.
Ferrara’s “Bad Lieutenant” is a classic in it’s own right and doesn’t need retelling.
How about a remake of “Blackhawk Down” or “Air Force One” or some other lame ass, nationalistic comedy? Or do Mel a favour with a post-”Apocalyptica” - you know, after the Europeans hit the beach and show the Aztecs what slaughter, torture & degradation is really like….?
May 13th, 2008 at 11:43 pm
I can’t help but picture Cage’s goofy ass jerkin’ it on the street to some young chicks. Keitel can really pull off the “I don’t give a damn” creepiness. Cage’s creepiness if more “golly-gee, look at my wang”. It’s just not a good fit.
This remake would/will not be able to live up to the original, but I’m not completely against the concept… almost, but not completely.
May 14th, 2008 at 12:55 am
Someday there will be a 40 year minimum before a film can be remade. I look forward to that day.
May 14th, 2008 at 1:21 am
This is some kind of sick joke right?
May 14th, 2008 at 6:36 am
FUCK, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Why fix something that does not need fixing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
ANd not cage, one of the worst actors ever!!!
May 14th, 2008 at 7:15 am
This has got to be a prank, right!?!
May 14th, 2008 at 7:29 am
NO UPDATE NECESSARY- CANNOT BE TOPPED, KEITEL IS THE BAD LT. AND NO ONE ELSE.
May 14th, 2008 at 7:30 am
MAKE HIM HIS SON, THAT WOULD WORK…
May 14th, 2008 at 7:33 am
THIS IS GETTING ABSURD. NO CREATIVE MINDS LEFT IN H-WOODLAND. YOU CANT REMAKE EVERY BLOODY FILM IN CREATION. PUHLEASE!
C’MON!!!! HIT ME!!!!!!
May 14th, 2008 at 8:13 am
WHY WERNER…WHY!?!?!
May 14th, 2008 at 10:31 am
Stupid waste of time.
May 14th, 2008 at 11:56 am
Is hollywood that tapped out of ideas? Well here comes the remake of the godfather, coming soon..
May 14th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
WTF is up with all this remake/redo/reboot crap. Is the shortening attention span of this country so bad that movies made in ‘92 can get considered for a remake. It’s a classic and should not be touched except to be digitally remastered and released on bluray with added features. Plus, watching Nick Cage loose it and start busting caps in the stereo would make me laugh instead of the “holy Sh*it!” emotion that Harv brings to the roll.
June 5th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
the original sucked. substitute cage for keitel and it sucks on an even worse scale.