Nearly three years have passed since it was announced that CJ Entertainment was developing an English language remake of writer/director Derek Nguyen's Vietnamese horror film THE HOUSEMAID (a.k.a. CO HAU GAI, watch it HERE) – a movie I gave an 8/10 review back then. Now we finally have an update on the remake's progress: Geoffrey Fletcher, who won an Academy Award for writing 2009's PRECIOUS, has written the screenplay with Nguyen, and a director has been hired.
Taking the helm of the remake, which will be titled GRAVE HILL, is Deon Taylor. Taylor's previous genre work includes his 2007 feature directorial debut DEAD TONE, the Flava Flav anthology NITE TALES, CHAIN LETTER, and THE INTRUDER (the one with Dennis Quaid).
THE HOUSEMAID told the following story:
When an orphaned Vietnamese girl is hired to be a housemaid at a haunted rubber plantation in 1953 French Indochina, she unexpectedly falls in love with the French landowner and awakens the vengeful ghost of his dead wife… who is out for blood.
GRAVE HILL moves the setting to the American South during the Reconstruction Era and will explore "racial and social themes through a genre lens".
The plan is for filming to begin sometime in the first quarter of 2021.
CJ Entertainment is financing and developing the remake, which is being produced by Nguyen, Motor's Don Handfield, Timothy Linh Bui of Happy Canvas, and CJ Entertainment's Yeonu Choi. CJ Group Vice Chairwoman Miky Lee, CJ Entertainment's Jinnie Choi and Jerry Ko, Hidden Empire's Roxanne Taylor, and Royal Viking Entertainment's Sean Sorensen serve as executive producers.
Jerry Ko, CJ Entertainment's Head of International Division, had this to say about Taylor being chosen to direct GRAVE HILL:
Deon is a filmmaker who will absolutely push boundaries and challenge sensibilities when it comes to elevating a story – particularly those rooted in suspense with social and racial themes. His creative vision for GRAVE HILL involves stepping far beyond the ordinary to retell a haunting story that's different from anything audiences have seen before."
Taylor added:
Having the opportunity to work with CJ Entertainment is absolutely a dream come true. The collaboration they created with Bong Joon Ho and the film PARASITE was incredible. I truly believe GRAVE HILL is a special elevated thriller that will speak to social themes we are dealing with today and simultaneously push audiences to the edge of their seats just like the original version did. This is a rare film and I'm very excited to bring it to life with CJ and team!"
When the remake was first announced, Nguyen said,
When writing the original script for THE HOUSEMAID, I became aware of the many parallels between the lives of Vietnamese indentured servants during the French colonial period and African American slaves in the American South. It's an honor to have a celebrated screenwriter such as Geoffrey Fletcher shed light on the horrors of brutal injustice in a new version that will not only entertain but provoke thought."
Here's hoping that GRAVE HILL will turn out to be an 8/10 like THE HOUSEMAID was.
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