Horror Hit The Others In Line for a Remake
The acclaimed 2001 chiller starring Nicole Kidman is getting an update for these self-isolating times.
The Others, the 2001 period horror film starring Nicole Kidman, is going to be remade.
According to Deadline, Los Angeles production company Sentient Entertainment has won the rights to mount a new version of the film, which will mark its 20th anniversary next year.
The original, directed by Alejandro Amenabar (whose latest film, While at War, premiered at last year’s Toronto Film Festival), featured Kidman as Grace, a young mother who shelters herself and her two children at a remote, isolated mansion on the British island of Jersey during World War II. The children suffer from a rare disease that makes them literally allergic to light, so Kidman keeps the curtains drawn and the house in shadow throughout the day.
After three servants show up out of nowhere to work at the house, Grace becomes convinced that there are “others” there as well — possibly the spirits of former occupants. The truth of what is happening in the house (we won’t spoil it here even though it’s been nearly 20 years) provided one of the great twist endings in modern horror cinema.
It’s hard to imagine how a new version will recreate that ending since the original is so well-known, but Sentient apparently plans to modernize the story and make it relevant to what is happening right now, as billions around the world self-isolate due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Producer Renee Tab said, “I am honored to be able to work on my favorite horror film of all time, The Others, and to bring this reimagining to the big screen for new audiences. It is almost eerie and uncanny how timely the themes are today: self-isolation, paranoia and fear, and of course the intense desire to protect our children and ourselves from harm. We look forward to unraveling the layers behind lead character Grace, whose pain and demons draw viewers into a truly compassionate journey.”
The project is said to be attracting interest already from top talent and studios. The original earned more than $209 million worldwide. Kidman was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance, while Amenabar won Goya Awards — the Spanish equivalent of the Oscars — for Best Director and Best Screenplay.
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Don Kaye is an entertainment journalist by trade and geek by natural design. Born in New York City, currently ensconced in Los Angeles, his earliest childhood memory is…