Movies
‘Cubed’ Can’t Escape Development Hell
I absolutely could care less about remakes. To this writer a good movie is a good movie, and the same goes for one that’s bad. Being a remake or reboot has nothing to do with it. There’ proof all through history, including John Carpenter’s The Thing and Gore Verbinski’s The Ring.
Some remakes feel like a cheap cash-grab, while other have so much potential it’s criminal to not attempt a reboot. Such the case with Vincenzo Natali’s masterful 1997 indie Cube, which follows six complete strangers of widely varying personality characteristics who are involuntarily placed in an endless kafkaesque maze containing deadly traps.
Lionsgate had been developing a modern take on the film, titled Cubed, with Prometheus screenwriter Jon Spaihts writing and hot up-and-comer Saman Kesh (watch “Controller”) attached to direct. Now, it appears that the duo can’t escape development hell.
“I have been involved with it,” Spaihts told AITH. “I think it’s resting right now as we look for a new creative direction, but we still are inspired by the vision of that original, independent, high-concept film. With any luck, we’ll still bring a new iteration of that story to light.”
When asked if Kesh was still attached to the project, he said:
“To be honest, I’ll have to check. I don’t know.”
Update: Bloody Disgusting caught up with Kesh who shared this statement:
“Cube has potential to be a great re-Invisioned film. Spaihts and I have been working hard on our vision of a reboot for the last year and a half.
“Unfortunately, the cogs of studios sometimes don’t move at the pace we’d all like. As for now, it looks to be some time before we’ll see a reboot.”
Vincenzo Natali’s film festival hit that spawned two sequels (Cube: Hypercube and Cube Zero). Roy Lee (Cabin Fever, The Ring) is producing the remake.
Andrzej Żuławski’s 1981 psychological horror movie Possession is getting a remake from Smile writer/director Parker Finn, and Deadline reports that The Batman actor Paul Dano has joined the cast.
No word at this time on character details, though.
The original film starred Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill as a married couple in Cold War-era West Berlin whose relationship spirals into a supernatural nightmare. In Finn’s update, Margaret Qualley and Callum Turner will star as the turbulent couple in Finn’s Possession, and Adjani has officially given her blessing on Qualley’s casting.
Parker Finn is writing and directing the new take on Possession.
He’s also producing alongside Jonathan Fass via Bad Feeling, along with Roy Lee and Andrew Childs via Vertigo, and Robert Pattinson. Marc Bienstock is serving as exec producer.
Our own Brian Keiper celebrated Possession‘s 40th anniversary here on BD back in 2021, writing: “Few movies depict emotional turmoil as effectively and daringly as Andrzej Zulawksi’s Possession. It is a challenging and sometimes inscrutable film, both for the mind and the emotions. Zulawski struggles through a number of deep issues throughout the course of the film; issues that speak to some of humanity’s deepest pains and fears. In many ways it is about loss— loss of political ideals, loss of faith, and loss of innocence. But most of all, Possession is about the fear, pain, and anger that comes from the loss of a marriage.”
This will mark Dano’s first horror role. The actor previously appeared in sci-fi hits Looper and Okja.
Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill in Possession
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