Val Lewton Returns, Sort of

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Big Magilla
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Post by Big Magilla »

Damien wrote:
OscarGuy wrote:RKO to remake horror titles
8 classic films will be remade by Roseblood Co.
By MICHAEL FLEMINGDays after signing an interim agreement with the Writers Guild, RKO has launched Roseblood Movie Co., a subsidiary that RKO topper Ted Hartley said will remake eight classic horror films churned out by Val Lewton when he headed RKO's low-budget horror unit in the 1940s.
The slate includes "Lady Scarface," which will be written by Tom Puryear; "While the City Sleeps," which will be scripted by Shin Shimosawa and Jim Morris; "The Monkey's Paw," which will be scripted by Todd Farmer; and "The Seventh Victim," which doesn't yet have a writer.

In a sad but -- these days -- unsurprising comment on the ignorance of today's Hollywood suits, While The City Sleeps was not a Val Lewton Picture. Directed by Fritz Lang and produced by Bert Friedlob, it was made 5 years after Lewton died.

Nor did Lewton have any connection to Lady Scarface or The Monkey's Paw.
Or Five Came Back either.

I'm wondering if a) the suits are really that ignorant or b) the press announcement got garbled as it went through the publicists or c) they are treading on Lewton's name and hoping people won't catch on.

I can't imagine any remake improving on any of these titles. In the case of Five Came Back, it was already tried with Back From Eternity in 1955. The Monkey's Paw had been made several times through the years.
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OscarGuy wrote:The moniker is a play on words from the reveal of "Citizen Kane," the biggest title in the RKO library for which Hartley owns remake rights. He said RKO will put some money in the films and is arranging other financing. Hartley said the program of films will be made over 24 months, and the first one will begin production in the fall. No distribution has yet been set.
If RKO even thinks about remaking Citizen Kane, I hope they go bankrupt before they even have a chance to attempt a comeback.
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Post by Damien »

OscarGuy wrote:RKO to remake horror titles
8 classic films will be remade by Roseblood Co.
By MICHAEL FLEMINGDays after signing an interim agreement with the Writers Guild, RKO has launched Roseblood Movie Co., a subsidiary that RKO topper Ted Hartley said will remake eight classic horror films churned out by Val Lewton when he headed RKO's low-budget horror unit in the 1940s.
The slate includes "Lady Scarface," which will be written by Tom Puryear; "While the City Sleeps," which will be scripted by Shin Shimosawa and Jim Morris; "The Monkey's Paw," which will be scripted by Todd Farmer; and "The Seventh Victim," which doesn't yet have a writer.
In a sad but -- these days -- unsurprising comment on the ignorance of today's Hollywood suits, While The City Sleeps was not a Val Lewton Picture. Directed by Fritz Lang and produced by Bert Friedlob, it was made 5 years after Lewton died.

Nor did Lewton have any connection to Lady Scarface or The Monkey's Paw.
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Post by Penelope »

I'm saddened by this: Bedlam, The Seventh Victim and The Body Snatcher are magnificent, and magnificently atmospheric, horror films; I expect any remakes will be of the modern gory, graphic kind.
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Post by OscarGuy »

RKO to remake horror titles
8 classic films will be remade by Roseblood Co.
By MICHAEL FLEMINGDays after signing an interim agreement with the Writers Guild, RKO has launched Roseblood Movie Co., a subsidiary that RKO topper Ted Hartley said will remake eight classic horror films churned out by Val Lewton when he headed RKO's low-budget horror unit in the 1940s.
The slate includes "Lady Scarface," which will be written by Tom Puryear; "While the City Sleeps," which will be scripted by Shin Shimosawa and Jim Morris; "The Monkey's Paw," which will be scripted by Todd Farmer; and "The Seventh Victim," which doesn't yet have a writer.

The other films on the initial slate are "Bedlam," "Body Snatcher," "Five Came Back" and "I Walked With a Zombie," titles identified last year (Daily Variety, June 15) when RKO made a co-financing deal on the quartet with Twisted Pictures, the makers of the "Saw" films.More than one option(Co) Daily Variety
Filmography, Year, Role
(Co) Daily Variety

"The launching of the Roseblood Movie Co. was the motivating force behind our making an agreement with the Writers Guild," Hartley said. "We've got other projects at RKO, but we needed to get going on this. The most successful ROI in the movie business comes from scary movies that get wide release and cost under $10 million. We've studied it extensively for our stockholders and investors and we saw the opportunity to take the rich Val Lewton library of scary thrillers and create a unique company out of it."

The moniker is a play on words from the reveal of "Citizen Kane," the biggest title in the RKO library for which Hartley owns remake rights. He said RKO will put some money in the films and is arranging other financing. Hartley said the program of films will be made over 24 months, and the first one will begin production in the fall. No distribution has yet been set.
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