OK, so you wanna make the big leap from TV commercials to the big screen. I can understand that. I can even understand that the project you take on may be less than ideal, but a remake of a remake of a remake based on a book? Ouch! That’s basically the situation ad-helmer Noam Murro finds himself in as he takes the reins of Warner Bros. new version of STRANGERS ON A TRAIN.
This one story – strangers trading murders as the perfect crime – almost counts as a franchaise at this point having started as a novel, followed by Hitchcock’s classic in ’51, and then inspiring both ONCE YOU KISS A STRANGER in 1969 and Danny Devito’s brilliant 1987 stab at it – THROW MOMMA FROM THE TRAIN.
The phrase beating a dead horse comes to mind, but congrats to Murro for getting the gig, as well as his DGA Award this year for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commericals. Since he’s shot spots for the likes of Adidas, Nike, Starbucks, Bud Light and eBay, I’m sure the studio is looking forward to the opportunity for ample product placements. Let’s just hope that while they pre-count their coin, somebody remembers to work really hard on bringing a fresh perspective to this very familiar tale.
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