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The Guardian (26/Apr/2005) - The Birds: Hitchcock remake set for take-off

(c) The Guardian (26/Apr/2005)


Hitchcock remake set for take-off

The Birds, one of Alfred Hitchcock's most celebrated horror thrillers, looks set to fly again as a remake.

The 1963 original starred Tippi Hedren as the icy blonde fighting against avians terrorising a Californian town. The new version is to be produced by Michael Bay, better known as the director of Hollywood action flicks such as Pearl Harbor, Armageddon and The Rock. It will be based on the original story by Daphne du Maurier which inspired Hitchcock's movie.

The British director appears to be Hollywood's flavour of the month: two weeks ago, it was announced that 1951's Strangers on a Train is also due for a remake. The story, taken from a novel by Talented Mr Ripley author Patricia Highsmith, tells of two train passengers who discuss the murders they want to commit and decide to swap them to avoid suspicion. The new version will be directed by Noam Murro, a veteran ad director. The writer is David Seltzer, who penned the screenplay of 1971's Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory.

So far, there are no details on who will star in or direct the new version of The Birds. But whoever becomes involved should probably be aware that Hitchcock remakes have had mixed fortunes. In 1998, Gus Van Sant shot a painstakingly exact copy of Psycho, the 1960 horror film starring Anthony Perkins. It quickly became an embarrassing box-office disaster.

However, that same year saw the release of A Perfect Murder, a remake of 1954's Dial M for Murder, which fared better financially. The 1998 version starred Michael Douglas as the man plotting the assassination of his wealthy wife, played by Gwyneth Paltrow.