Daniel Barber (shown right), the director behind the vengeful Michael Caine picture HARRY BROWN, is currently in talks to helm a new thriller for Alcon Entertainment. The name of the new film? SUBSTITUTION.
According to THR, SUBSTITUTION has a STRANGERS ON A TRAIN vibe, though it will be re-appropriated in a high-school milieu. The story centers on a substitute teacher who coerces a high school student in a murders-swapping plot.
Sounds intriguing, right? Any story based on a Hitchcock movie, not to mention realized by the guy who’s first feature showed as much promise as HARRY BROWN (which won Best British Film at the Empire Awards), has tremendous potential. I just hope by high-school, they don’t pander to some PG-13 “Teen Wolf” demographic. I really hope the script by Ian Shorr (SPLINTER, RIGGED) takes the subject as seriously as Hitch did. If so, we may have a real winner on our hands.
As for Barber, SUBSTITUTION will mark his sophomore effort. Before HARRY BROWN, he made a 35 minute short called THE TONTO WOMAN.
HARRY BROWN star Emily Mortimer