Once upon a time, many moons ago, David Fincher was developing a remake of Alfred Hitchcock‘s "Strangers On A Train" for producer Joel Silver, but the project never really gained much steam. Yet it seems the idea never left Fincher’s brain, as it’s now back on the table in a massive way.
Deadline reports that Fincher will re-team with "Gone Girl" star Ben Affleck and screenwriter Gillian Flynn for the Warner Bros. project, which comes with a twist. It’s set on an airplane and will be titled "Strangers." As you might guess, this is an updated version of Hitchcock’s story with an interesting new take on the premise: Affleck will play an actor in the midst of an Oscar campaign who crosses paths with a wealthy stranger when his private plane breaks down —presumably that’s when double murder plots are enacted. So it sounds like similar thematic territory to "Gone Girl" —celebrity, soured relationships — but with some new avenues.
The plan is for this project to shoot between Affleck Prohibition era drama "Live By Night" and his big screen superhero role in "Justice League." We’re intrigued, and it looks like this film will step far away enough from Hitchcock’s classic that we won’t mind too much at all. But first up for Fincher will be HBO‘s "Utopia," and he will direct all the Flynn-penned episodes of the first season this year.
Fincher and Flynn adapting Patricia Highsmith is very exciting. Can\’t wait.
If anything, Ben Affleck is a good fit for the Farley Granger part, even if the role is not a tennis player anymore.
Deadline actually updated their story several times, fyi.
They re-edited their post. They originally said the title was \’Strangers On A Plane\’
Read the Deadline story again. It doesn\’t say the film is called Strangers On a Plane, just that it might be better served going by that title.