US 'Suspiria' Remake Shooting in 2010

I don't have a gauge on whether or not David Gordon Green is the right guy to direct a remake of Suspiria, which if it's not the scariest horror movie ever made might be the freaky deakiest. For the record, Dario Argento's surreal classic probably does deserve the remake treatment, if only because it's so unapproachable to American audiences. The hope is that a remake would be a nice introduction to the original for millions of people, although nice is probably the wrong word to use.

Most audiences know Green from Pineapple Express, but he got his start with some indie movies that could prepare him for something like Suspiria, especially his underrated 2004 film Undertow. But Suspiria is one of those movies you really only get one shot at, I'm thinking. If the remake blows, that's probably the end of the line. The news that Green's update would shoot next year was buried in an mostly unrelated Variety article that The Playlist carefully combed. At one point, Natalie Portman was rumored for the project, which would fit although I don't see her doing it. That rumor melted away pretty quickly, but it is worth noting that she co-stars in Green's summer 2010 comedy Your Highness. The film would need someone of Portman's ability to truly rise higher than the idea of remaking it just to remake it.

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WTF? Natalie Portman to Star in 'Suspiria' Remake?

This is one of those stories you want so badly to believe that you kind of think your way out of believing it. Surely, if there's going to be an American remake of Dario Argento's Suspiria - one of the few legitimate pieces of art that wears the horror label - the guy directing it wouldn't be the dude from Pineapple Express, right? And if the dude from Pineapple Express is directing it, then surely he wouldn't be able to grab a star like Natalie Portman, right? While I still don't entirely believe it, all of those things are reportedly coming together, according to one source. Either way, it gives us a great excuse to post a hot picture of Natalie Portman. Never pass up that opportunity... Bloody Disgusting has reported and apparently re-confirmed today that David Gordon Green will direct Suspiria and that Portman's production company, Handsome Charlie Films, is producing, and that the Oscar nominee will star in the remake, as well. In addition to being seriously twisted and just about as scary as a horror movie has ever been, Suspiria is also psychologically complex. I would guess Portman would play the Suzy Bannion character, an American dancer who travels to a European ballet school and quickly learns it's much, much different than that. Visually, the original film is jarring, kind of magnificent in its own way, and definitely gruesome. Can that be achieved again? Maybe. We built up Alexandre Aja the other day talking about Mirrors, and to me, he's the perfect candidate to remake Suspiria. I thought so while I was watching High Tension for the first time. I'm not sure exactly what David Gordon Green brings to the project that it needs. His Undertow is interesting; maybe the producers saw something there that they like for this remake. But even his involvement isn't as surprising as Natalie Portman's. Would you ever think she'd do a horror remake, particularly this one? I'm still unconvinced of this story's veracity, but it's such an unusual collection of names, it's worth hearing about at the very least. It's definitely a development we're going to keep our eye on. Bloody Disgusting reports that Portman's people say nothing has been confirmed or signed yet, but the rumor here is much more interesting than the denial.