Icelandic Thriller 'Jar City' Getting an American Remake
Filed under: Foreign Language, Deals, Telluride, Mystery & Suspense, Cinematical Indie
Iceland has a more robust film industry than you might expect from a small island nation of only 320,000 people, but still, it ain't exactly Hollywood. So when an Icelandic film gains worldwide attention, it's newsworthy. Such is the case with Jar City, an excellent mystery thriller that Cinematical's Kim Voynar raved about last year at Telluride. It's the highest-grossing film in the country's history, from one of its most successful (and prolific directors), and it won a top prize at the 2007 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
And now it gets the ultimate honor: an American remake! (There may have been sarcasm in the word "honor.") According to The Hollywood Reporter, Overture Films has bought the remake rights and will employ the original writer/director, Baltasar Kormákur, as a producer. No word yet on who will direct the U.S. version, but a writer has been attached: Michael Ross, who wrote Turistas and who THR says is also penning the Near Dark remake.
The Icelandic setting will be changed, of course, to its logical American counterpart: Louisiana. No, really. I'm curious to see how the story transfers, since some of its details relate to the insularity of those small Icelandic communities. Also, I loved that the detective in the original was a total badass despite looking like a nerdy college professor. (That's him in the picture.) I hope they keep that element for the remake. William H. Macy would be perfect.
As far as I can determine, this is the first time an Icelandic film has officially gotten an American remake. If anyone knows differently, let me know. Otherwise, I'm marking this as a historic first for our friends in the North Atlantic.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-07-2008 @ 3:39AM
pete thomson said...
Jar City is an excellent movie. Bleak atmospheric with gritty realism and a haunting male voice choir on the score. I cannot see America doing it justice. Im just glad I saw the original superior Icelandic version.
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10-07-2008 @ 3:15AM
bf.blogger said...
Thanks for this post! I just read an article about Iceland (their economy) and it's an ideal place for film and the arts. Their economy might be changing for the worst, but I think they'll continue to produce interesting material. They live in such a different area of the world, it's refreshing to see how artists like Baltasar Kormákur, Björk, and Sigur Rós take you to amazing places within their own creativite space.
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11-19-2008 @ 10:59AM
meattyyy said...
I find it ridiculous that in places such as America and Britain that we can't seem to appreciate international cinema or music for what it is instead of re-making it all. It is rare that you see an international film on the big screens here in Britain and it is slightly frustrating. Why can't people appreciate Jar City for what it is without having to remake it into a typical Hollywood film.
I have seen many excellent foreign films only to find out they are being 're-made' so that it suits a more international audience. We can all read subtitles can't we? Why can't we just appreciate the effort that these directors and artists have put into their work without 'americanizing' everything! These people deserve some recognition.
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