hitcher Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Platinum Dunes to Produce a Movie That's Not a Remake
Filed under: Horror », Remakes and Sequels »
So far the company known as Plantium Dunes, which is run by flashy director dude Michael Bay, has produced three movies: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Amityville Horror and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. Ah, and they have The Hitcher due in two weeks. That's three remakes and a prequel to a remake ... which I don't really count as an "original" concept.But according to Bloody-Disgusting.com, Bay and producing partner Andrew Form have a nasty thriller on the way called The Horsemen. In this one, Dennis Quaid will play a detective gone sour after his wife's untimely demise, only to come across some terror of truly "biblical" proportions. (Hint: The (Four) Horsemen ... of the Apocalypse?) Quaid's the man, of course, and the story sounds pretty nifty, but The Horsemen was written by the guy who did Doom and directed by the guy who helmed the patently unwatchable Spun ... so this one's a total crap-shoot. But at least it's not a remake. Plus they got Zhang Ziyi to co-star, and that's always a smart thing to do.
Also on the Platinum docket are something "brutal" called Alone, that oft-discussed remake of The Birds and ... absolutely no chance of another Texas Chainsaw Massacre entry. Which is just fine by me.
[Previous report by Marky B. is accessible right here.]
Hitcher to the Trailer
Filed under: Horror », Thrillers », Universal », Remakes and Sequels »
Just because everyone here at Cinematical loves The Hitcher, that hasn't stopped us from covering the hell out of the upcoming remake -- which is now opening on January 19th, just so you know. My take on remakes is simply this: Some of 'em work, most of 'em don't, and none of 'em can take the shine off a really classic flick. And while Joe & Jane Movierenter might know nothing of The Hitcher, that hasn't prevented the flick from becoming a cult classic genre flick of the highest caliber. Hell, even my mother loves The Hitcher, and she usually watches movies starring Sally Struthers and/or Lindsay Wagner.So yeah, the remake is afoot. And if you can get this new-fangled doo-dad over at MSN to give up its wares, you can finally settle in and watch the all-new trailer for Platinum Dunes' new and improved The Hitcher. I think I've been pretty even-tempered toward this project so far, but I gotta say the trailer does next to nothing for me. Aside from the prospect of seeing Sean Bean play a psycho (which he's never done before), I feel rather ambivalent about the new Hitcher. Disinterested, one might say, but I've been wrong before.
Just so you know the score, the original was written by Eric Red and directed by Robert Harmon. The remake comes from screenwriter Jake Wade Wall and director Dave Meyers. The shrieking screamers, previously played by C. Thomas Howell and Jennifer Jason Leigh, will now be portrayed by Zachary Knighton and Sophia Bush. And I'm sorry but, as cool as Sean Bean is (and he really is a very reliable and watchable character actor), nothing will be able to match what Rutger Hauer did with the role back in 1986. (According to completely fabricated rumors that I just now made up, Mr. Hauer actually killed 17 real motorists while preparing for the role of The Hitcher.)
[Thanks to BD for the tip!]
The New Hitcher Gets Rollin'
Filed under: Horror », Universal », Remakes and Sequels »
Whenever a new horror remake begins production, I get this huge dose of inner turmoil that's actually quite sad and geeky. On one hand ... why freakin' remake The Hitcher??? On the other ... it could be good! Plus, truth be told, if a producer came to me and said "Go on, here's a check. Remake a horror flick," you can bet your gills that "Scott Weinberg's Humanoids from the Deep" would be hitting your multiplex next summer. So there's that ...Anyway, through the magic of a Rogue Pictures press release, we now have the pretty-full skinny on what to expect from Platinum Dunes' re-imaginivisadaptaion of Robert Harmon & Eric Red's The Hitcher. Relative newcomer Zachary Knighton* will be stepping into the C. Thomas Howell role, joining Sophia Bush (in the Jennifer Jason Leigh role, only this time she's a college kid and not a waitress) and Sean Boromir Bean in the villainous role made infamous by the feral Rutger Hauer.
Screenplay by Eric Bernt (Highlander: Endgame) & Jake Wade Wall (When a Stranger Calls); director Dave Meyers is a first-timer, unless you count the 1999 flick Foolish, which Mr. Meyers would probably prefer you didn't.
Plus there have been some rumors that Hauer himself would make an appearance somewhere in the flick, which might be fun. Or it might not. Ah yeah, the *asterisk* ... Zachary Knighton is someone you might recognize from TV's Life on a Stick, Related, or Love, Inc. Or you might not.
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