Remakes of Alfred Hitchcock films are nothing new, really. “Strangers on a Train” and “Suspicion” have been named in the past little while as getting makeovers, while the filmmakers behind “Disturbia” were sued for ripping off “Rear Window” by the estate of the author who wrote the original short story on which it’s based (the lawsuit failed). Even more recently, Anthony Hopkins was said to be in talks to play the director himself in “Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho” which is about exactly what the title implies (which of course reminds us of Gus Van Sant‘s shot-for-shot redo of “Psycho“). A fascinating figure, with an undeniably great body of work, it’s not shocking that Hollywood continues to mine the filmmaker for ideas.
Way back in 2004, Paramount optioned a remake of “To Catch a Thief,” Hitchcock’s 1955 film starring Cary Grant and a luminous Grace Kelly that centers on a former thief who has to clear his name when he’s accused of falling back into his criminal ways. But that’s secondary, or at least parallel, to the romance between the two leads which is arguably more exciting than the workings of the thieving plot thread. Well, as usual, Hollywood doesn’t get it and it appears that an updated version needs to be more “gadgety.”
In an interview with Latino Review, screenwriter Josh Stolberg — responsible for such high pieces of art as “Piranha 3D,” “Sorority Row” and “Good Luck Chuck” — updated the status of the project and his approach to the script.
“I wrote, with Bobby [Florsheim], a remake of ‘To Catch a Thief’ for Paramount. Neal Moritz is producing, and it’s exciting because it’s one of my favourite Hitchcock movies and it was fun to come at it from a different angle – make it a little bit more modern and ‘gadgety.’ It’s the first script that I’ve ever written that [encompasses] a lot of heists and action sequences and.. it was a blast!” he said. “I’m really excited. We just turned in the script to the studio a couple of months ago and they’re working on casting now. It takes place in Santarini…it’s a travelogue of the most amazing places on Earth…it’s gonna be a fun, fun ride I think.”
With Moritz producing (“Fast Five,” “Battle: Los Angeles,” “The Bounty Hunter“), it can’t possibly go wrong…can it? We can’t wait to see who attempts to step into the shoes of Cary Grant and Grace Kelly and we actually wouldn’t be surprised if this is turned into a teen-oriented flick like “Disturbia” that made the studio a boatload of money a few years ago.
In case you care, head over to Latino Review to read more from Stolberg including his work on a mega-Hasbro brand movie that will be like “Night at the Museum” but purely with stuff from the toy company. And while some sites are saying it’s a big mystery project, it was actually revealed last spring. He’s also penning the Todd Phillips-produced comedy “Man-Witch,” which is exactly what it sounds like as well as few other projects.