Variety reports:
John Moore has become bedeviled by “The Omen 666.”
Moore, who directed “Behind Enemy Lines” and “Flight of the Phoenix” for 20th Century Fox, has been set by the studio to helm a remake of the 1976 horror classic about the arrival of the Antichrist in the home of an unsuspecting family.
Dan McDermott is writing a script that contemporizes the tale. Project is on a fast track, as the studio has set a tentative Oct. 3 start date, with 20th prexy Hutch Parker and Peter Kang overseeing.
Richard Donner directed the original, which starred Gregory Peck as an ambassador whose dark secret –allowing a baby to be substituted for the one his wife (Lee Remick) lost in childbirth — comes back to haunt him when the hellish prodigal son begins to hit his evil stride.
Source: Variety
I was gonna bitch about the fact that my favorite “Son of Satan” movie is now being remade … but I think this news really just solidifies the fact that (in its current state) Hollywood is dead. All summer we have been hearing about how box office takes have been lackluster … and I think a lot of it boils down to the remake/rework mentality. What have been the big films this summer? “Batman Begins” though not a remake is definately a “been there done that” kinda thing. Same for “Fatastic Four.” “The Longest Yard” is a remake. “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” is a remake. “Bewitched” is hardly new stuff. The same is true of “Herbie: Fully Loaded,” “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith,” “House of Wax,” “The Honeymooners,” “Dark Water.” “War of the Worlds.” Out of the few movies listed here, what would you be willing to plunk $10.00+ (depending on where you live) to see? Looking ahead there are a slew of remakes and reworkings of films and television shows on the way (“The Fog,” “Bad News Bears,” “Dukes of Hazzard,” “King Kong”) plus a whole slew of sequels to films that weren’t even good to begin with). Hopefully this will all turn around. Some orginality needs to come back to film industry if it ever expects to survive.
You’re right about Hollywood not having any new ideas at all any more. Can’t believe they’re going to remake the Omen – one of my all time fave horror flicks. It will never be as good.