If I were asked in the early 2000s to pick two Marvel Comics properties to bring to the screen myself, my choices would have been DAREDEVIL and GHOST RIDER. When those properties were brought to the screen in 2003 and 2007, respectively, it turned out that both movies were made by the same writer/director: Mark Steven Johnson.
Johnson is now set to write and direct a remake of the classic 1980 horror classic THE CHANGELING… and after seeing how much cheesiness he worked into his DAREDEVIL and GHOST RIDER films, I'm not convinced Johnson has the right sensibilities for a CHANGELING remake.
To be fair, I think it would be nearly impossible for anyone to live up to the original THE CHANGELING. Directed by Peter Medak and starring George C. Scott, the film told the following story:
Composer John Russell is vacationing with his family when a car accident kills his wife and daughter. Distraught with grief, Russell leaves his home in New York City for a giant, secluded house near Seattle. Soon Russell starts to feel the presence of a ghost, a boy who drowned in the bathtub there. Russell seeks the assistance of Claire Norman, who led him to the house initially, in uncovering the secrets of the boy's death.
Johnson's version will move the setting
from the U.S. to Venice, Italy. After the death of his young daughter, musician Joe Carmichael returns to his childhood home in Italy. But he finds the house is haunted by the spirit of a dead child and begins to uncover a terrifying family secret.
The new THE CHANGELING is expected to begin filming in Venice sometime in early 2019. Casting is currently underway.
The remake is being produced by the original film's producer Joel Michaels, along with Uwe Schott and Stefan Arndt of X Filme. Cornerstone Films' Alison Thompson and Mark Gooder serve as executive producers.
I can't say I have high hopes for this project, but I do recommend picking up a copy of the original film.
