I have some catching up to do when it comes to David Cronenberg films as I have never seen Videodrome or Scanners, another one of his films up for remake status. On the other hand I did take in Birth of a Nation, Stagecoach and 42nd Street this weekend as I have now seen all 15 of TCM’s Top 15 Most Influential Films of All-Time. Make of that what you will, but let’s get into this Videodrome remake business.
Michael Fleming at Variety is reporting the news saying the 1983 Cronenberg feature will be remade with a script penned by Ehren Kruger (The Ring) as he teams up with his Skeleton Key producer partner Daniel Bobker and Universal Pictures aboard to distribute.
The original starred James Woods as the head of Civic TV Channel 83, who makes his station relevant by programming “Videodrome,” a series that depicts torture and murder that transfixes viewers. Variety reports the new film will modernize the concept, infuse it with the possibilities of nano-technology and blow it up into a large-scale sci-fi action thriller.
Considering Universal just slowed production on Gore Verbinski’s Bioshock it sounds like they are quite ready to spend a little money developing this one.
Cronenberg will not be involved in the picture as Fleming reports his next film is likely to be the Tom Cruise and Denzel Washington starrer The Matarese Circle starting in 2010 as Cruise seems likely to board Motorcade with Len Wiseman and Washington has signed on to take his fifth role working with Tony Scott in Unstoppable.
SIDE NOTE: If you would like to read a report on this story from someone that has seen the original Videodrome head over here for a not necessarily negative, but certainly not positive take on the idea.
