This news pulls me quite hard in two different directions. Ready? Here we go:
Bad news: One of the producers of Twilight is backing a US remake of Pascal Laugier's grueling but brilliant Martyrs. This bit isn't new. We've known it for a while.
Good news: Daniel Stamm has just been attached to direct the thing. If you must do this thing you should at least have a good director and given that I think Stamm's The Last Exorcism is one of the best US horror films of recent years he definitely qualifies.
Bad news: Stamm says "Martyrs is very nihilistic. The American approach would go through all that darkness but then give a glimmer of hope. You don't have to shoot yourself when it's over." But ... but ... the nihilism is part of the point! There may be some interesting directions you could push things in to do something different with it but if you strip that element out you run a very significant risk of altering something fundamental to the story in which case it makes more sense to just tell a new story rather than trying to force this one to be something it is not.
Good news: No Kristen Stewart.
I've got a lot of faith in Stamm right now so I'm willing to hold off jumping to any conclusions until we really know what he's up to - or if this is even able to get financed and off the ground - but the idea of Martyrs being brought into the American studio context is one that makes me very nervous.
Bad news: One of the producers of Twilight is backing a US remake of Pascal Laugier's grueling but brilliant Martyrs. This bit isn't new. We've known it for a while.
Good news: Daniel Stamm has just been attached to direct the thing. If you must do this thing you should at least have a good director and given that I think Stamm's The Last Exorcism is one of the best US horror films of recent years he definitely qualifies.
Bad news: Stamm says "Martyrs is very nihilistic. The American approach would go through all that darkness but then give a glimmer of hope. You don't have to shoot yourself when it's over." But ... but ... the nihilism is part of the point! There may be some interesting directions you could push things in to do something different with it but if you strip that element out you run a very significant risk of altering something fundamental to the story in which case it makes more sense to just tell a new story rather than trying to force this one to be something it is not.
Good news: No Kristen Stewart.
I've got a lot of faith in Stamm right now so I'm willing to hold off jumping to any conclusions until we really know what he's up to - or if this is even able to get financed and off the ground - but the idea of Martyrs being brought into the American studio context is one that makes me very nervous.
Related Links
More from Martyrs
- News: TWILIGHT Producer Calls MARTYRS "Not Remakeable", Doing It Anyway, Wants To Cast Kristen Stewart.
- Reviews: FNC 2008 - A Review of MARTYRS
- Reviews: Review: Pascal Laugier's MARTYRS
- Reviews: Fantastic Fest 2008: Martyrs
- Reviews: Fantastic Fest 08: MARTYRS, Briefly
- Reviews: TIFF Review: MARTYRS
- Mastheads: Martyrs
- Mastheads: Martyrs
- Mastheads: Martyrs
Bahhhhh. I thought Last Exorcism was garbage. Only it's funny parts were redeeming. This is just a nightmare. It's a film that cannot be remade.
Has the producer of Twilight is backing a US remake — or anyone involved in making a U.S. version, for that matter — actually seen Martyrs?
Todd, I thought you ended up agreeing in the last comments section about this remake that Kristen Stewart wouldn't be bad for the part, all things considered? ie if it was gonna happen, then...might as well be her. I still think she's a decent actress and I can't immediately think of anyone else they could feasibly pick who would necessarily be better. But anyway. There are interesting directions they could take the story maybe...esp towards the end...be cool if it could somehow complement the original, rather than just being a pale imitation..but I won't be holding out much hope either. Haven't seen The Last Exorcism yet though, so..
I can imagine the US version toning down Anna's torment and explaining exactly what she said to the old woman at the end. How can you have a film called Martyrs (definition: a believer who is called to witness for their religious belief, and on account of this witness, endures suffering and/or death), and offer a glimmer of hope? From whom, exactly?
Todd, I'm surprised you're not automatically jumping up and down with joy over another pointless remake. What's next, now? Will Brett Ratner be hired to do a US remake of A Serbian FIlm and then point out that the original was nihilistic? Or maybe the producers of Hannah Montana will choose to do a remake of Ichi the Killer and hire a director who will then say the original was too nihilistic? Why stop there? Pier Paolo Pasolini's Salo is just waiting to be remade by the producers of High School Musical.