Last year we listed our 5 Best & 5 Worst Horror Movie Remakes, and noted that Takashi Miike‘s "Audition" had "mercifully avoided the remake treatment." We spoke too soon. One of the handful of early films that put the filmmaker on the radar of genre enthusiasts, "Audition" is now going down the remake road.
Deadline reports that producer Mario Kassar — the man who brought us, among other things, "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," "Basic Instinct," "Showgirls," "The Doors" and "Rambo III" — is putting together an American redo of the movie that is based on the novel by Ryu Murakami. And for better or worse, there won’t be any major changes, with the story (now set in the United States, duh) still following a widower who holds fake auditions in order to find a new mate, but meets his match with one unforgettable choice.
And if you’re hoping this is one that’ll get stuck in development hell, sorry, that’s probably not going happen. Some guy named Richard Gray is going to direct, with production already eyeing a fall start. So do yourself a favor and track down the Miike original — watch the trailer below.
Meanwhile, Miike’s got a new film coming up called "Yakuza Apocalypse: The Great War Of The Underworld." It stars "Mad Dog" (Yahan Ruhian) from "The Raid 2" and Hayato Ichihara. Producer Shinjiro Nishimura explained to Screen Daily, "Yakuza are unique to Japan so we combined that with vampire action. Regular people who get bitten become yakuza [sporting tattoos] and overrun the city, while the real gangsters are thrown into chaos." Miike’s own statement is rather hilarious. "Say good-bye to wimpy and boring Japanese movies. Nobody asked me, but I’ve decided on my own to return to my roots and start a riot!" Check out the first images from the film below.
