Ellen Page Set To Star In Remake of Flatliners
Another day, another horror movie remake story - but in this case, might there be some real promise of something above average?
There have been murmurs for some time that a remake of ‘Flatliners,’ director Joel Schumacher’s 1990 supernatural thriller, was in the works at Sony. Now, Variety report that Ellen Page is in talks to take a leading role in the film.
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Taking over from Schumacher in the director’s chair is Niels Arden Oplev, director of the original Swedish version of ‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.’
The original ‘Flatliners’ boasted a high profile ‘Brat Pack’ cast including Julia Roberts, Kiefer Sutherland (fresh from Schumacher’s earlier supernatural hit ‘The Lost Boys’), Kevin Bacon, William Baldwin and Oliver Platt.
They starred as a group of medical students who, in top secret, experiment with near death experiences, temporarily entering a state of induced death in the hopes of discovering what awaits on the other side. They soon find themselves struggling with their own personal demons from the past.
The natural assumption would be that Page would take on the role previously portrayed by Roberts, as the only female in the original ensemble - but then, it’s entirely feasible that new screenwriter Ben Ripley’s take on the original script from Peter Filardi might take the premise in a different direction.
Incidentally, Peter Filardi went on to write another youth-oriented supernatural hit that’s lined up for a remake - 1995′s ‘The Craft.’
I daresay that a remake of ‘Flatliners’ shouldn’t meet too much opposition from fans. The original boasts an intriguing premise, but lacks something in its execution, leaving clear room for improvement.
With Page heading up the ensemble and Oplev directing, this could make for an interesting, challenging take on the ever-popular paranormal investigation format. Let’s hope the film manages to amass a similarly impressive ensemble as the original.
No production or release dates for the ‘Flatliners’ remake have been announced yet.
Picture Credit: WENN, Sony
