A very long time ago, we had gotten word that New Line Cinema was looking to do a remake of the Spanish-language supernatural stunner THE ORPHANAGE. I’m not sure how groovy an idea of a remake would be. The original was so good, I’m not sure what could possibly be improved upon whilst adapting an American version.
Nonetheless, a recent article at Variety stated a list of New Line’s upcoming flicks and, aye carumba, look what it said: One of the films most likely to be greenlit this year includes an English language remake of Spanish horror film “The Orphanage” with Guillermo Del Toro producing and a high-profile female lead.
Well, at least they got Mr. Del Toro (who produced the original) on board here as well. In my book, the man can do no wrong. Hopefully this remake won’t be his first big-time misstep. I wonder who’d they consider for the “high-profile female lead”? I guess it depends if they’re going the water-downed, PG-13, cheap boo-scare route (in which case they’ll probably select a Jessica Alba), or the honorable, hardcore, serious-film route (in which I’d say Hilary Swank would do well). I believe that if Del Toro is in charge, the right decision will be made.
In case you didn’t know, here is THE ORPHANAGE’s plot: Laura spent the happiest years of her childhood growing up in an orphanage by the seaside, cared for by the staff and fellow orphans whom she loved as brothers and sisters. Now, thirty years later, she returns with her husband Carlos and Simon, their 7-year-old son, with a dream of restoring and reopening the long-abandoned orphanage as a home for disabled children. The new home and mysterious surroundings awaken Simon’s imagination, and the boy starts to spin a web of fantastic tales and not-so-innocent games… a troubling web that begins to disturb Laura, drawing her into the child’s strange universe which resonates with echoes of long-forgotten, deeply unsettling memories of her own childhood.