The last time we reported on the completely unnecessary remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic The Birds, it looked to be dead on the ground, at least for the time being. Sadly, however, it appears the remake is still on its way, and it may have found a new director.
Casino Royale director, Martin Campbell, had been attached up until this point to direct The Birds. However, a little project called Green Lantern came along, and evidently The Birds got brushed to the side and almost forgot about. According to Pajiba, their inside source in The Hollywood Cog says that Campbell is no longer helming the $60 million project, which is set up at Michael Bay’s horror remake-prone production company, Platinum Dunes (the studio responsible for the remakes of A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Amityville Horror, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Friday the 13th, amongst others).
However, a project like The Birds isn’t just going to disappear because a director walks away from it, the studio just needs to find another director. And it looks like they have, this time taking a step down from Campbell to Greek director, Dennis Iliadis, who brought us (you guessed it) a horror remake in the form of The Last House on the Left, which came out this year.
So how might this affect what we see on the big-screen with The Birds remake? Well, word is that Campbell originally had a PG-13 version in mind, and that was where the script was being developed to shoot (it’s been re-written as many as three times already). However, if you saw The Last House on the Left, you know Iliadis doesn’t play in the PG-13 sandbox, and it appears that he wants The Birds to go R-rated, which means blood and gore galore, no doubt.
Now, usually I would be all for a movie going the R-rated route, as it means things could be edgier and the director doesn’t have to worry about what he wants to put in there for fear of it getting cut. However, in this case, I would rather they go the PG-13 route. Why? Well, if you’ve seen Hitchcock’s original Birds you’ll know it wasn’t about blood and gore but more about the suspense in what’s going to happen next – are these birds going to attack and if so, when? That and a whole lot more made The Bird‘s the special movie that it is, and adding in all this R-rated bloody nonsense is just a flat-out bad idea, IMHO.
Alfred Hitchcock and his Birds
The reasoning for this probably has something to do with the fact that they can’t figure out how to make birds scary (a problem the producers spoke about a few months ago), at least not in the way that the late-great Hitchcock did (could anyone accomplish that other than Hitchcock?). And so, the filmmakers are falling back on the harder-edged, bloodier style that will allow them to blend in seamlessly with every other pointless and forgettable horror remake of the past decade (want me to list them?…).
Just as a quick note: Naomi Watts was originally tipped to star in the lead role, but Pajiba speculates that if Campbell’s gone, she will no longer be attached either. We’ll keep you posted on whether or not that’s the case.
What do you think of The Birds remake apparently getting a new director? Is Iliadis the right guy to direct it? Are you happy they now seem to be taking it the R-rated route as opposed to the originally planned PG-13?
Source: Pajiba (thanks to FirstShowing)
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Martin Campbell is a very talented director, and I think he could have done something great with The Birds. But Dennis Iliadis just isn’t up to snuff, he’s just not the right director, IMHO.
Just ’cause it’ll be R-rated doesn’t mean that the suspense won’t be there. It just means that when the birds attack, we’ll see a lot more of the damage that they can inflict, which in my opinion, increases the suspense of it all.
A film about birds attacking. Ehm I’m not paying to see this I don’t care who directs,,,
Hitchcock was a master and I doubt that any remake of The Birds will ever compare to the original. Then when they find it isn’t working they will just throw plenty of blood and guts in front of the camera, crank up the special effects, and go for the gross out factor.
Well you can’t get John Carpenter to do it. What about Brian De Palma? Nah, I know Lucky McKee…
Wow, another dumb idea from Hollywood’s “brilliant minds”!
Have they forgotten “Psycho” remake disaster?
Hitch must be turning in his grave!
Remakes, sequels forever, Tv show remakes etc., dumb comedies, – that is why these days I see 3-4 movies a YEAR, when I used to see a movie (or two) every week!
Not spending my hard earned $$$ on garbage!
And I stay away from any movie that has Michael Bay name on it!
In principle Robyn2 I agree with you. The problem is when this stuff started they had some success at it. Remember the “Addam’s Family” movies and the “Beverly Hillbillies?” they grossed around 300mm combined. That got the ball rolling and I guess you can say the silver screen like the eye we all seem to have in our homes, never blinks. Cable TV has compounded the problem, so we’re drowning in content. Some people contend that all stories have been told already. It’s just a matter of readjusting what you have. It wouldn’t surprise me if their isn’t a formula out there for every method discovered to tell a story and how to encompass, modify, and change up a story to breath some life into it after it has grown stale. In fact most know guidelines have existed for years. You see them on TV once in awhile “10 rules of good horror movies” stuff like that. Making the process as mechanical as possible… well if you haven’t read my rantings on this stuff just do a search they’re all here…
I don't believe there should be a remake of the film. Why try to spoil the “perfection”.Sir AH can not be imitated or outdone. He is as unique to the cinema as the sun is to the solar system.
I don't believe there should be a remake of the film. Why try to spoil the “perfection”.Sir AH can not be imitated or outdone. He is as unique to the cinema as the sun is to the solar system.