Sunday, August 14, 2016

POLTERGEIST: THE REMAKE

News Updates
 
Don't miss this "Poltergeist" related podcast on Sunday, June 30th, hosted by my friend Mat Biller!
The Kreep Show
Be sure to tune in this Sunday night at 10 p.m. PST for a special all Poltergeist episode of the Kreep Show! We will be discussing the original films, weighing in on the reboot and also reviewing the death rattle of the original trilogy, Poltergeist III! Only on www.blogtalkradio.com/the-Kreep-show
Call in and talk with the hosts! 646 716 4135
 
 
 4-28-12
According to the "Hollywood Reporter," Sam Raimi will be producing the "Poltergeist" remake.
David Lindsay-Abaire, who worked on Disney's Oz: The Great and Powerful for Raimi, is working on the script. Co-producing will be Nathan Kahane, Roy Lee, and Robert Tapert. Raimi will also be heading up the search for a director. Read more:
 
 
 
12-7-11
I can report that in 2009, Scott Derrickson, who directed "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" and the remake of "The Day the Earth Stood Still," re-wrote the 2008 "Poltergeist" remake script by Juliet Snowden and Stiles White. Derrickson also re-wrote a draft that the then attached director, Vadim Perelman, had done. Mary Parent, in charge of MGM at the time, wanted to green light the script for production but then the studio fell apart financially. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Derrickson
Producer Roy Lee is now in talks with MGM to produce the remake:

http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/49022/could-poltergeist-remake-finally-be-coming-2012


No word yet on whether David Lindsay-Abaire is still in talks to write it, as this June article suggested:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/rabbit_hole_scribe_david_lindsay-abaire_offered_poltergeist_remake_writing#


 
 
2-17-11
MGM announces that a new "Poltergeist" is still on track! (But is it a remake or a sequel??)
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118032494
Here's hoping that the studio has reconsidered the remake idea since all their financial woes, and has decided to truly go with a direct sequel to the original films. I think it would be really cool to see a "Carol Anne grown up" continuation......what do you think?
 
 
11-13-09
Looks like MGM could be up for sale very soon due to their major debt problems, with their vast film library auctioned off to the highest bidder. What this means for the "Poltergeist" remake is unknown. The film's release had already been pushed back to 2011. Could the whole project get scrapped altogether? Word has it that Time Warner might be interested in buying the film library. Here's the report:
 
 
10-22-09
Today, via Twitter, I asked writer Stiles White whether he knew who was writing the latest draft. He responded:
 
"Not sure what the current status is. If I hear anything good, I'll Tweet!"
 
You can follow Stiles on Twitter here:
 
 
 
 
10-16-09
According to Bloody Disgusting, MGM has pushed back the release date to sometime in 2011. It may have something to do with the studio's recent financial problems, changes to the script, or both. MGM says that production will now begin in 2010, and that they simply couldn't have shot the film in time for the original 2010 release date. For more:
 
 
Perhaps this way they'll be able to spend more time on it and come out with a better product (or maybe they decided to just scrap the remake idea and do a sequel instead? HINT HINT, MGM!)
 
 
8-18-09
Who will score the remake? Jerry Goldsmith is known for his classic score to the original film. I'm guessing that most likely, James Horner will be the man. He worked on both of Vadim Perelman's previous two films.
 
If that's the case, I'd say we're in good hands. Maybe he'll even use some of Jerry's previous music, as he did when he scored "Aliens" in 1986 (Jerry had scored "Alien" in 1979).
 
Since directors often use many of the same crew people on their films, here's a link to Vadim's listing on the IMDB:
 
 
You might be able to get an idea of who's working on "Poltergeist" by looking at the names on the credits lists of his first two movies.
 
 
 
8-18-09
 
Buried at the bottom of this MGM press release, you'll find that the studio confirmed the news that ShockTillYouDrop reported last week:
 
 
 
The new leadership team looks forward to completing MGM's new production slate, which includes the upcoming release of Fame on September 25, as well as The Cabin In The Woods on February 5, 2010; Hot Tub Time Machine on February 26, 2010; Red Dawn on September 24, 2010; The Zookeeper starring Kevin James on October 8, 2010; and Poltergeist on November 24, 2010.
 
 
8-13-09
 
Release Date Revealed!
 
from:
 
November 24, 2010-Thanksgiving Weekend
 
But, no casting news yet....
 
6-10-09
EXCLUSIVE!
I recently received some information from an insider who read a later draft of the Stiles White/Juliet Snowden "Poltergeist" remake script (a later version than what LatinoReview.com obtained). According to this person, the script was almost exactly the same story as the original film, with characters described as "sexier." The ending was the same, but with bigger hints of a sequel. It was described as "absolutely" a remake, NOT a "reboot/sequel." It's essentially the same family, just with new names. The main difference between this draft and what LatinoReview obtained was that new "things" were inserted to terrorize the young boy ("Robbie" in the original film, but renamed here). This was to make up for the fact that the Tree and Clown were left out of the first draft. This person was not very impressed with this script, saying that, similar to the "Birds" remake that White and Snowden worked on, there was too much action and not enough substance.  A few good things: the house is still built on top of a burial ground, and the "Beast" is shown more. It was also stated that there were many nods to the original in ways that try to be clever. This person felt that the final result will depend on the director and if he can deliver an intense rollercoaster ride. One important point to remember: Stiles and White are no longer involved with the project, and a new draft has been written by someone else. So, it's likely that the latest draft differs even more from this version.  In fact, as two commentators on the LatinoReview site posted regarding the first draft:
 
I work at MGM and have read the script. You must have found a spec or something, that's not even close.
 
As someone working on this movie, I can confirm that you're script review is outdated.
 
Hopefully as the script continues to be refined, things can be fixed. Unless there are legal reasons (considering the tangled history of the writing of the original film: www.poltergeist.poltergeistIII.com/wrote.html), I really don't see why the Tree and Clown had to be dropped, and why they had to change the names of the family.
 
 
6-5-09
 
Today I spoke with someone at MGM who advised me that despite what many people are saying online, the new "Poltergeist" film is going to be something that fans of the series are really going to be impressed with.
 
I guess maybe everyone should take a wait and see attitude. Who knows, perhaps it will be like how fans initially had reservations about Daniel Craig as the new Bond before that installment was released, or about the new "Star Trek" before it came out, and then changed their minds when those films finally opened to big business and rave reviews. Time will tell....
 
6-3-09
Remake Script Reviewed! (The first draft, anyway-and MGM's not using it)
 
The web site LatinoReview.com was leaked a first draft copy of the remake script, dated December 22, 2008. You can watch their review at the link below. The web site ShockTillYouDrop was given word that MGM is not using that draft, and that writers Juliet Snowden and Stiles White are no longer connected to the project. I wonder if any of their material will still be used, however?
 
Of note, this script changes the names of the family (Carol Anne is now named "Sophie"), the Tangina character (also a new name) is a younger woman, not a "little person," and the evil Tree and Clown Doll do not make an appearance! Hopefully, if they really are doing a remake instead of a "reboot/sequel," these things can be rectified in later drafts. If it's a remake, then they really should NOT change the character names, and the tree and clown need to be put back in!
 
Here's the review:
 
And the MGM statement:
 
 
 
 
  3-23-09 Another Juliet Snowden/Stiles White interview, this time from
http://www.thewrap.com/ind-column/2022 “Poltergeist,” on the other hand, is a much more specific story -- one family, one house. So, how to “update” that without just recycling it?
“”Poltergeist” was a seminal film for us, you know, in our lives, and it’s like your dad’s classic vintage car that’s been in the garage and you’re not allowed to touch it,” says
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