Movies
MGM Has No Rules for Remaking ‘Poltergeist’
Recently freed from a crushing $4 billion debt, MGM’s new studio management in February told Hollywood’s talent agencies it was moving ahead with plans to reboot five movie franchises, including Steven Spielberg’s 1982 horror hit, Poltergeist. Now Vulture hears that the studio has offered Pulitzer-prize winning playwright cum screenwriter David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole) the job of reimagining the paranormal classic.
Reached by Vulture, Lindsay-Abaire confirmed he’d been approached by MGM and offered the job, but emphasized that no deal had been reached and stressed that he was not yet even sure he wanted to take it.
The good news: Insiders tell the site that MGM has no creative parameters for a Poltergeist remake — it would be Lindsay-Abaire’s to shape in whatever fashion he chooses, should he want the job. Think Dawn of the Dead 2004.
The immediately revival comes a big late as the studio is just now recognizing that paranormal happenings are popular (i.e. Insidious and Paranormal Activity). They expect this to be a huge franchise. No word on if Vadim Perelman is still attached to direct.
It was announced two weeks ago that Paramount is resurrecting the Scary Movie spoof franchise with a brand new reboot movie, which will likely arrive in theaters next year.
The new movie, a joint venture between Paramount and Miramax that will technically be the sixth installment in the franchise, is expected to go into production this coming Fall.
We don’t yet know who will be writing, directing or starring in the Scary Movie reboot, but two actors in particular have already expressed an interest in joining the franchise.
The first is Melissa Barrera, who can currently be seen in theaters in Radio Silence’s bloody horror movie Abigail. Barrera is of course also the star of Scream and Scream VI, which kind of makes her a perfect candidate to lampoon herself in a Scary Movie reboot.
“I always loved those movies,” Melissa Barrera tells the website Inverse. “When I saw it announced, I was like, ‘Oh, that would be fun.’ That would be so fun to do.”
The actress adds, “They have the iconic cast that did it, so we’ll see what goes on with that. I’m just excited to see a new one.”
In a tweet posted last night, Bailee Madison (The Strangers: Prey at Night, the upcoming “Pretty Little Liars: Summer School”) also threw her hat in the running.
Madison tweets, “Random but scary movie 6 hit me up cause I just feel like we’d have fun okay bye.” Your move, Paramount. And make sure you call Anna Faris and Regina Hall too.
Directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans, the first Scary Movie was released in 2000, just four years after Wes Craven reinvigorated the horror genre with his meta slasher masterpiece, Scream.
The film parodied horror movies of the time including Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and The Blair Witch Project, and the horror-comedy spoof scared up $278 million at the worldwide box office. The success of that first Scary Movie paved the way for an entire franchise of horror spoofs, five of them in total released between 2000 and 2013.
Bailee Madison in “The Strangers: Prey at Night’
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