Remake Of Alfred Hitchcock's 'Rebecca' In The Works, 'Eastern Promises' Scribe Steven Knight To Pen The Screenplay

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by Kevin Jagernauth
February 9, 2012 10:01 PM
11 Comments

Hollywood just can't get enough of Alfred Hitchcock. With two movies about the man in the works -- "Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho" with Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren and "The Girl" with Toby Jones and Sienna Miller -- along with a brewing "Psycho" prequel and a remake of "To Catch a Thief," everyone is trying to bring the master of suspense into the modern age. And now DreamWorks and Working Title are going to give it a try.

They've tapped "Eastern Promises" scribe Steven Knight to pen the script for a new take on Alfred Hitchcock's "Rebecca." Now before you go howling, this actually isn't a terrible idea. Yes, the original starring Joan Fontaine and Laurence Olivier is a stone cold classic and one of Hitchock's best. That said, the source material from Daphne Du Maurier is really, really good (seriously, the novel is fantastic) and Knight will draw his screenplay from that. The story's haunted tones and themes could easily be transposed to a contemporary setting in a film that could stand on its own. Yes, stepping out of the shadow of Hitchcock's film is a monumental task, but if the approach is different enough, it could be compelling. We're not willing to write this idea off just yet.

As you know, the story revolves around a young woman who marries a wealthy widowed man and goes to live in his grand home, only to find that the memory of his dead wife has an eerie hold on the staff and her husband. Plenty of room here to play with the setup, so we'll be intrigued to see how this develops. Starting with Knight is a good first step. [Variety]

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11 Comments

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georgina | February 11, 2012 8:39 AMReply

I think Saoirse Ronan would make an excellent Mrs. de Winter, while Michael Fassbender as Maxim de Winter.
Helgi | February 10, 2012 5:35 AMReply

Rebecca is NOT a typical Hitchcock film.
Osric Scrivener | February 10, 2012 3:19 AMReply

Calling this a remake is like calling any new version of Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights or Great Expectations a remake. It's just a new film of a classic novel.
Mike | February 10, 2012 12:05 AMReply

I'm not one to get too upset about remakes, but this is one of the greatest films of all time. Barring some drastic reason to justify a new adaptation, this is just wrong. Stephen Knight is an excellent screenwriter though, so we'll see.
Katie | February 9, 2012 11:56 PMReply

"That said, the source material from Daphne Du Maurier is really, really good (seriously, the novel is fantastic) and Knight will draw his screenplay from that"

So really they're just making a new movie version of the novel Rebecca, not remaking Hitchcock's film.
trev | February 9, 2012 11:54 PMReply

Hollywood can't get enough of hitch with the forthcoming release of the girl being produced by renowned Hollywood film studio, the BBC,
Bill | February 9, 2012 10:48 PMReply

Always one of my LEAST favorite and most Hollywoodish Hitchcocks. Let them take a shot at it.
Vino | February 9, 2012 10:17 PMReply

No originality anywhere in 'Hollywood.' Pathetic. And all classic remakes are bombs.
Jeff | February 10, 2012 2:07 PM

No, The Thing as in John Carpenter's film. It was a direct remake of Christian Nyby and Howard Hawks' classic "The Thing from Another World."
Oogle monster | February 10, 2012 1:52 AM

The Thing as in Joel Edgerton's film? That was a huge bomb both financially and critically. Let Me In didn't fare too well in theaters but it got raves reviews and really cemented Matt Reeves place in Hollywood as a talented filmmaker.
Jeff | February 9, 2012 10:57 PM

Remakes have been a part of the film industry since its infancy. His Girl Friday and The Maltese Falcon (now both considered stone-cold classics) were remakes of earlier films. Also: A Star is Born, Imitation of Life, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and dozens of others.

Nobody bitches when the same play is put on for decades with new casts and directors. What's the difference?

Explain how True Grit, Heaven Can Wait, A Star is Born, Ocean's 11, Scarface, and The Thing are "bombs."