Anthony Hopkins as Hitch?

I know Anthony Hopkins is a legend and all—and a much-revered one at that—but he's one of those guys who I just don't see what all the fuss is about. Honestly, I can't think of anything I've actually thought he was really good in since The Silence of the Lambs (though I did like him as Nixon). Maybe it's just me, but he seems to play every role over the past 15 years or so exactly the same. But when he's good—and when he does something a little different from his usual—he can be really good. I'm hoping that'll be the case if he ends up playing the most famous and most influential director of all time.

According to THR, Hopkins is in talks to portray Alfred Hitchcock in a film based on the 1998 book Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho. If you're not familiar with the story, it's an interesting one: at the top of his career, Hitch decided to slum it and make a horror film. No studios would touch it, fearing that it'd ruin his reputation, so he financed it himself, shot it in black and white, and the rest, well, is film history. It's easy to overlook Psycho these days because it's so over-reference and over-celebrated—and we won't discuss what Gus Van Sant did in the late 90s—but it really was a landmark achievement. It's a film that's still influencing many a director today.

The movie is rumored to be directed by Sacha Gervasi, whose only previous helming gig was the mockumentary Anvil! The Story of Anvil. The screenplay is by John J. McLaughlin, who was one of a trio of writers responsible for Black Swan.

This certainly seems like an odd combination, but personally I'm ready for a unique take on Hitch, having ready virtually every book about him and his career, and seen every behind-the-scenes I could get my hands on. Can you imagine an add campaign that starts, "From the guys responsible for cannibal doctors, a faux-rock band, and obsessive ballet dancers comes... the story of Alfred Hitchcock and the making of his most famous film"? This one seems like it could be a total cluster, or it could be something really unique and great. I think the worst possible outcome is if it ends up being just a generic, straightforward take; that's my biggest fear upon hearing this news, because this combination of writer-director-star just doesn't seem right for that.

The screenplay is said to center around Hitch's relationship with his wife Alma, so presumably the tension of making Psycho is the backdrop to that. I'd recommend reading Donald Spoto's The Dark Side of Genius if you're interested in getting a preview of just how messed-up the Hitchcock marriage was around the late-50s/early-60s, but suffice it to say that there's plenty there to base a movie upon.

Comments

[Stephen Bellamy]

If you are a fan of Hitchcock my production company performed a biopic play covering the last year of his life. Here's a link to the trailer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqEXcLqeSNw

If you're interested in seeing the whole show we filmed it and produced a DVD which I'd be happy to send you a copy of. Drop me an email if you're interested and I'll sort it out.

[J.Bradley]

Like Gus Van Sant's version it sounds like an interesting experiment. Somewhat like Mario Van Peebles' '03 movie "Baadasssss!" about his father's efforts to make "Sweet Sweetback's Badass Song" which launched the black exploitation era. Like he did with "Nixon", I'm sure Hopkins will have an interesting interpretation of the CHARACTER of Hitchcock to bounce off the lore - known and not so well-known - about the making of "Psycho".

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