There’s no going back now. Well, barring a strike or an act of God, that is.
Overture is the bearer of bad news (though they’re obviously happy): “Let Me In,” the American remake of the heralded Swedish film “Let the Right One In,” has started shooting today in New Mexico as reported by Overture Films’ press release. Though the existence of the Matt Reeves-directed film is painful enough, the shooting location of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is salt in the still-bleeding, fang-shaped wound. With all its stark concrete and snowy shadows, “Let the Right One In”‘s Swedish suburban setting heightened the tale of a 12-year-old outcast who befriends his neighborhood vampire. We can’t imagine that Albuquerque will work as well thematically, to say nothing of visually. Blood-drenched sand just can’t have the same creepy beauty that the Swedish snow did. Was Minnesota booked?
On the casting front, Kodi Smit-McPhee (“The Road”), Chloe Moretz (“(500) Days of Summer”), and the always awesome Richard Jenkins have been announced as the boy, the vampire, and her handler, respectively, but new arrivals are mentioned with the start of principal photography. Talented character actor and familiar face Elias Koteas (“Zodiac”) has been cast as the investigating police officer, but even film fans might have to Google the other additions: Cara Buono and Sasha Barrese. Buono’s resume boasts a recurring part on “The Sopranos,” and she’ll play the boy’s mother. Meanwhile Barrese was the (rightfully) panicky fiancée in summer sleeper “The Hangover,” and here she takes on the role of Virginia, a part we’re not even sure was in the original, outside of maybe a school teacher.
We think it’s smart to avoid the A-list in casting, and we agree with the sophomore director’s taste — “Let the Right One In” was one of last year’s strongest films, genre or no — but the decision to remake it seems misguided. While “Cloverfield” was a fun diversion, “Let the Right One In” plumbs to far greater depths, that Reeves might not be able to reach. As fun as the film was, J.J. Abrams was the brand name attached to “Cloverfield,” not the then-unknown Reeves. We’re not praying for a natural disaster here, but a “Lost in La Mancha”-level mishap or two might keep Reeves and Co. from profaning a truly remarkable film. — Kimber Myers