Rod Lurie (THE CASTLE, THE CONTENDER) has signed on to direct a remake of the Sam Peckinpah cult classic STRAW DOGS for Sony’s Screen Gems. The original film, which features one of the best posters of all time [right], follows Dustin Hoffman as an American who moves to the UK with his British wife. They are subjected to increasing levels of harassment upon their arrival culminating in a brutal double rape. That sequence was the source of a great deal of controversy when the film was released in part because it was so graphic and also because at times the actress (Susan George) was playing the part as if she were enjoying it. The critics who thought Peckinpah was a mysoginist had more ammo and it was subsequently banned in Britain (the rape scene was trimmed to get an R rating here in the US). Lurie’s version is expected to take place in the US, not Britain, and will likely deal with the growing xenophobia in certain parts of the country. Reed Steiner (“The Shield”) is writing the script, details of which they’re trying to keep secret. Lurie’s next film, RESURRECTING THE CHAMP with Samuel L. Jackson and Josh Hartnett, is set for release later this year.
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