UPDATE: Can’t say we’re too shocked, more like relieved really, but STYD has confirmed that Sam Raimi will NOT be directing the POLTERGEIST remake for Ghost House. Repeat, NOT directing it.
Just yesterday we updated the status of Ghost House’s POLTERGEIST remake, as word flooded in that new screenwriter, the Pulitzer Prize winning David Lindsay-Abaire (RABBIT HOLE), will draft an entirely fresh script from scratch. By now you know the great Sam Raimi is producing for his shingle, but according to Hitfix, he may actually direct the remake as well. Good idea? Bad idea? Mere hearsay? What do you think?
Here’s what Lindsay-Abaire told reporter Scott Feinberg regarding Raimi directing POLTERGEIST:
“The writer (Lindsay-Abaire) stated directly that Raimi will be directing the “Poltergeist” remake.”
Can’t really get more blunt than that, can you? Again, who knows if this will stick, but it is pretty fascinating to think about how Raimi’s version would differ/mirror the Hooper/Spielberg original. And if this does turn out to be true, it’s surely a testament to the script Lindsay-Abaaire turned in. My guess is if it’s that good, Raimi will want to protect the material and direct himself rather than taking a chance on an unknown filmmaker likely to f*ck it up. Only a hunch though.
Feel free to weigh in. How much credence to put in this? Are you in favor of such a notion? Does Raimi really need to remake other horror classics, especially when his own (EVIL DEAD) is suffering the same fate? Let her rip below!