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The Guardian (27/Jun/2007) - Hollywood to remake early Hitchcock thriller

(c) The Guardian (27/Jun/2007)

Hollywood to remake early Hitchcock thriller

After Psycho and The Birds, Hollywood is planning another remake of an Alfred Hitchcock movie. This time it's the turn of The Lodger, a 1927 silent film the British director made in London in the early stages of his career. The Lodger tells the story of a mysterious man who rents a room at the Bloomsbury house of the Bunting family at a time when the capital is terrified by a serial killer, known as The Avenger, who murders only blonde women. The landlords quickly suspect their puzzling resident might be the murderer.

The remake will be set in modern-day Los Angeles and revolve around a copycat killer, according to Variety. The man in charge will be the relatively unknown David Ondaatje, who will make his feature-length debut with The Lodger. He will also write and produce the film. Ondaatje is well acquainted with the work of the celebrated British director. His previous film was a short entitled Waiting for Dr MacGuffin, billed as a tribute to Hitchcock - MacGuffin refers to a plot device Hitchcock often used in his movies.

Hitchcock's work remains a popular source for Hollywood remakes. Gus Van Sant memorably re-shot Psycho frame-by-frame in 1998 and received a critical and commercial mauling for his trouble. Earlier this year, the teen-targeted thriller Disturbia, a modern-day homage to 1954's Rear Window, became a box office hit across the pond. And 1963's The Birds is also to be remade, with Naomi Watts possibly reprising the role made famous by Tippi Hedren.

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