On the newly posted After Dark show, a /Film fan wrote in detesting MGM‘s planned Poltergeist remake. Not only did this topic snowball into the most tasteless Heather O’Rourke/pizza joke imaginable, we also contemplated whether the project qualifies as the first remake of a Steven Spielberg movie. And if so, is Jaws within reach? The freaky 1982 supernatural classic was officially helmed by Tobe Hooper, sure, but Spielberg’s directorial contribution remains a point of contention amongst horror fans. Today, Bloody Disgusting reports that Vadim Perelmen, a rather left-field choice, is in “heavy talks” to direct the unnecessary remake.
Perelman debuted with 2003′s House of Sand and Fog, a well received literary adaptation that garnered three Oscar noms, including a Best Actor nod for Ben Kingsley. Earlier this year, his follow-up, The Life Before Her Eyes starring Uma Thurman and Marilyn Manson’s muse, was memorably defecated on by the majority of critics. Perelman’s penchant for literature purportedly played a part in his attachment to the long-planned adaptation of Atlas Shrugged. Here’s a quote from his entry on Wikipedia…
“I don’t want to spend a year of my life working on a film that does not resonate with me on a poetic level,” says Perelman. “Since great scripts are a rare commodity, I realized that I have to create my own opportunities and not wait for the right project to come along—for fate to smile upon me.”
Thanks for showing up, fate. I’m pretty sure a facsimile of this guy was in my screenwriting class. Big chain smoker, wrist model. Just last week, Peter lashed into the announcement that Juliet Snowden and Stiles White [Ed.-poetic name combination] were hired to pen the new (and undoubtedly improved) Poltergeist. Their writing credits include the remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds for M.Bay’s Platinum Dunes, Alex Proyas’ Knowing with Nic Cage, and Ghost House’s sleeper hit Boogeyman. On a roll.
Discuss: What would Carol Anne say? And per our After Dark discussion, will the iPhone make an ace replacement for the original’s TV?
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Posted on Thursday, August 28th, 2008 by David Chen
The /Filmcast: After Dark is a recording of what happens right after The /Filmcast is over, when the kids have gone to bed and the guys feel free to speak whatever is on their minds. In other words, it’s the leftover and disorganized ramblings, mindfarts, and brain diarrhea from The /Filmcast, all in one convenient audio file. In this episode, Dave, Hunter, Devindra, and Adam chat with actor/comedian Paul Scheer about playing Lieutenant Buttocks in Eddie Murphy’s Meet Dave, the most controversial Human Giant sketches, and the intensity of working with Vinnie Jones on Harold Ramis’s new film, Year One.
Join us next Monday night at 10 PM EST / 7 PM PST as we review Uwe Boll’s Postal which was just released this week on Blu-Ray and DVD. We will be joined by special guest Phil Kollar from 1up FM!
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Topics Discussed
- Paul Scheer’s experience on Meet Dave, 30 Rock
- The Line
- Paul’s favorite Human Giant sketches
- Working with Vinnie Jones on Year One
- Cher as Catwoman?
- Your e-mails (Call the /Filmcast voicemail line at 781-583-1993)
- Thoughts on remaking the Poltergeist
- Our most memorable films and scenes
- Never let anyone film in your home, even Spielberg
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The /Filmcast: After Dark is a recording of what happens right after The /Filmcast is over, when the kids have gone to bed and the guys feel free to speak whatever is on their minds. In other words, it’s the leftover and disorganized ramblings, mindfarts, and brain diarrhea from The /Filmcast, all in one convenient audio file. In this episode, Dave, Peter, Devindra, and Adam, discuss the possibility of another Superman film with Bryan Singer, find even more things to debate about The Dark Knight, and discuss some geeky tidbits about the making of Back to the Future. Also, Dave laments the thrashing that was “The Yamato Affair.”
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I have some bad news. Not only is MGM remaking Poltergeist, but they have hired Juliet Snowden and Stiles White, the team behind the modern horror classic (sarcasm) Boogeyman to write the screenplay.
Tobe Hooper‘s 1982 film was co-written, produced and highly supervised by Steven Spielberg, and told the story of a family’s haunted home which had been built over an Indian burial ground. The film is notorious for it’s PG rating, which it obtained after an appeal to the MPAA. The movie spawned two sequels, neither of which were as acclaimed or as successful as the original. It’s hard to believe that MGM would even dare to attempt a remake without some top writing level talent involved. Why not just make a direct-to-dvd sequel while you’re at it.
