James Marsden Grabs the Lead in the 'Straw Dogs' Remake

If there's one remake that's solidly irking the masses, it would be Rod Lurie's plan to re-do Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs. Remaking a big studio film is one thing -- remaking a controversial and violent Peckinpah film is something else entirely. In March and August of 2007, Cinematical readers weighed in with their distaste, and now a few years later, this sucker is finally getting cast ... with Cyclops.

The Hollywood Reporter posts that James Marsden will be taking over Dustin Hoffman's shoes to play David Sumner. This time around, the man will be an LA screenwriter who moves to his wife's deep-South hometown before the marriage troubles begin and locals get violent.

I have to admit it; I'm kind of intrigued. It's not that I want a remake (I almost never do), but I really want to see what Lurie is doing with this. He's already expressed his distaste in the rape controversy, and swears it will be much different in his film, and he's moved the whole project over to an entirely different social landscape. Why? And then picking Marsden? I can't decide if this is a move of genius, and something that could set the actor on more of a Hoffman path than a rom-com and annoying eye-zapper path, or if this is just another reason to ignore this remake.

So far, it's like a garish accident, you're compelled to look even if you don't really want to... But what do you think? Does Marsden make you want to pick up the pitchforks and revolt, townie-style?