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Tuesday
02Sep2008

'Poltergeist' Remake: Director Vadim Perelman Ain't Afraid of No Ghost

DateTuesday, September 2, 2008 at 9:01AM
I'm a big fan of the game Upgrade/Downgrade. Usually, it's an easy time killer you use to determine which celebrities has moved up from his or her previous relationship and which ones have moved down. Brad Pitt to Angelina from Maniston? Upgrade. Maniston from Pitt to Vince Vaughn et al? Downgrade.

I think we'll invoke Angelina again for this professional version of Upgrade/Downgrade, since it appears that director Vadim Perelman will be directing a remake of Poltergeist. Less than three months ago, he was linked to Jolie's pet project, Atlas Shrugged (although she claims he was never in negotiations to direct).

I would have to say this is a downgrade. Atlas Shrugged is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If you're a risk taker, there are very few projects with more potential than this. Of course, it's an extremely risky adaptation, as any 1,000 page book would be. By definition, this Poltergeist thing isn't a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I mean, it's a remake of a movie that spawned two gawdawful sequels.

Then, of course, there's the real strong possibility that Poltergeist was pretty damn good the way it was, a mainstream frightfest for kids of almost any age, and that's a hard thing to replicate, especially when the original holds up a lot better than most 25 - 30-year-old paranormal suspense thrillers.

And don't even get me started on the curse...

Be that as it may, Bloody Disgusting says Perelman is in talks to direct the remake for MGM, and the script will be tackled by Juliet Snowden and Stiles White. I must confess I'm not familiar with their previous work, although they did hammer out the screenplays for the upcoming remake of The Birds and the Alex Proyas supernatural Knowing.

The Hollywood Reporter says the story likely appealed to Perelman because his films have dealt with the way a family handles an "extraordinarily intense situation," and while that might be it, I'm going to say it's the money.

AuthorColin Boyd | | in , , , | Print ArticlePrint Article | | Comment1 Comment |

Reader Comments (1)

This remake frenzy is ridiculous. However, it's not Hollywood's fault it's the pathetic lack of brains in moviegoers these days. They're the ones supporting this rubbish. Creatively, this might be the lowest point in human history.

Friday, November 14, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterRay

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