Movies
Ridley Scott Wants to Remake Korean ‘The Wailing’
Fox International Production Korea is in early talks with Ridley Scott’s Scott Free over an English-language remake of Na Hong Jin’s hit horror-thriller The Wailing, ScreenDaily reports.
Speaking to Screen, head of FIP Korea, Hosung Kim, revealed that a senior Scott Free executive had recently contacted him with an offer to do the English-language remake.
“They said The Wailing reminded them of films such as The Exorcist, The Ring and Seven,” he told the site. “The locality and sensibility of The Wailing is so strong that I don’t think it would be easy to do a Western remake, and it will be important who directs it. So I told him I think the only director who could do the remake is Na Hong Jin. But we are still in early stages of talks,” he added, emphasising that neither he nor Na were ruling out any eventuality at this stage.
Director Na has previously said that he is interested in working in Hollywood although no concrete plans have been confirmed as of yet.
“We’re being careful. As you know, there are a lot of remakes out there being developed [that haven’t come to fruition],” said Kim.
Written and directed by Na, The Wailing is a set in a quiet Korean village that is rocked by a series of inexplicable murders after the arrival of a mysterious stranger. When an investigating officer’s daughter falls foul of the same violent spell, he resorts to bringing in a shaman to help cure her and solve the mystery, with unexpected results.
Kim added that he had reservations about a potential remake: “What other country has such diverse religious beliefs as Korea? In The Wailing, you see not a Korean Buddhist monk, but a Japanese monk type of person, a shaman, Christianity, Catholicism, and diverse pagan and occult beliefs.
“It’s different from the religious worldview of the West where they have monotheism in Christianity. So when you are tossed a question about faith, would the emotional response be as intrinsic as for Koreans? Of course the reactions we had in Cannes and from overseas sales were of surprise, but that was because it was foreign culture to them. Would it work if the film were in their own language?”
The Wailing landed on many of Bloody Disgusting’s best of the year lists, nearly topping Kalyn’s, while also being included in my own list.
Sunrise Films has announced the official North American release of William Bagley‘s horror comedy Hold the Fort, and it’s accompanied by an energetic new trailer.
Hold the Fort debuts on digital platforms on June 23.
In the film, “Lucas and Jenny think their life is finally coming together when the couple become homeowners. Little do they know that their new house comes with a big catch. Lucas and Jenny soon find themselves in a fight for their lives when they become trapped in a battle between their Homeowners Association and an onslaught of monsters from hell. The horror-comedy takes the timely concern of home-ownership and wraps this up in an entertaining action-packed thrill ride.“
Watch the new trailer below, which introduces one wild HOA gathering during an equinox. Things get bloody fast.
Chris Mayers (Adult Swim Yule Log), Haley Leary (“The Walking Dead”), Levi Burdick, and Julian Smith star.
William Bagley writes and directs, in addition to producing with Smith, Matt Dodd, Luke Williams, and Tim Reis (Adult Swim Yule Log).
Ahead of the release, Bagley said, “My goal with this film was to make a hilarious, fast-paced thrill ride while also telling a great story with heart. Hopefully, through all the blood, laughs, fights, and gags, you leave the film feeling inspired to tackle whatever life throws at you.“
Hold the Fort premiered at Fantasia last summer before going on to play FrightFest London, Toronto After Dark, and Beyond Fest.
I wrote in my review, “It’s an infectiously charming assemblage of jokes and monster vignettes bound together by a barebones plot with not much on its mind beyond delivering an entertaining time.”
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