What better way to come out of bankruptcy than with a whole bunch of blockbuster films and remakes? That’s the plan MGM is taking, backing “The Hobbit,” “James Bond 23” and “Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters.” And though they denied it at the time, earlier this year it was revealed that the studio was dusting off a bunch of old movies for new versions with “Robocop,” “Mr. Mom,” “The Idolmaker,” “Carrie” and “Poltergeist” were in various stages of development. For “The Idolmaker,” Ryan Gosling has already stepped in and out of the director’s chair while “Carrie” now has a writer on board. And it looks like “Poltergeist” is seeking a writer too.
Vulture reports and has confirmed with the man himself, that Pulitizer Prize winning playwright and screenwriter David Lindsay-Abaire of “Rabbit Hole” fame has been offered the job of writing the remake/reboot. While he stresses no deal has been made and that he’s not sure he even wants to do it, apparently he will be given carte blanch to take the movie in whatever direction he wants (presumably before the suits get scared and hire some hack to rewrite it).
We can see why Lindsay-Abaire is hesitant — the original is fine, and a remake is kind of ridiculous idea. But blockbuster stuff is not out of the question for the writer. He was recently hired to pen “Rise Of The Guardians” for DreamWorks Animation and he also penned Sam Raimi‘s “Oz The Great And Powerful.” His previous credits include “Inkheart” and “Robots.” Will he, won’t he? Time will tell, but let’s hope he moves on to something more worth his time.