Universal Moves Forward With ‘Videodrome’ Remake
Long live the new flesh? Universal is apparently ready to move forward with its remake of director David Cronenberg’s 1983 horror/sci-fi classic Videodrome, according to Deadline. Commercial director Adam Berg will make his feature film debut with the project, which was penned by Transformers: Dark of the Moon scribe Ehren Kruger, who is also set to co-produce.
Since the technology on-display in the original feature is more than a little dated — after all, it was released way back in 1983 — Kruger and producing partner Daniel Bobker intend to bring the story up-to-date. Deadline reports that the duo plan to make the film a full-on action thriller, which is a far cry from the disturbing, cerebral tone of Cronenberg’s original vision.
Presently, a cast has not been assembled, though the announcement of a director suggests that filming isn’t too far down the road.
Universal’s plans for Videodrome follows on the heels of the shocking revelation that John Travolta is rumored to be taking part in the Hollywood remake of the low-budget trash classic The Toxic Avenger. The industry’s love of reboots seems to be unending despite the fact that most of these endeavors are met with negative reviews and low box office tallies. For example, Len Wiseman’s Total Recall remake, a film with a $125 million budget, has only collected $52 million at the domestic box office.
Cronenberg’s Videodrome starred James Woods as the manager of a television station which starts airing a show devoted to torture and violence. Not surprisingly, the material begins to have an adverse effect on viewers. Word to the wise: The film is definitely not for the squeamish.
Cosmopolis director David Cronenberg, meanwhile, has been all of the news as of late. When he isn’t promoting his latest feature to various news outlets, he’s discussing his dislike for Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, which, in the filmmaker’s opinion, is just a guy running around in a stupid cape. His thoughts on comic book movies in general is sure to ruffle a few nerdy feathers.
Are you excited about Universal’s remake of Videodrome?
