Paramount Plots Remake Of Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Suspicion’ With ‘The Killing’ Showrunner Veena Sud To Write The Script

Helmer Brian DePalma has stated on numerous occasions that his directorial style and even screenwriting has been influenced directly by the work of Alfred Hitchcock, a director who few would argue was a master of visual storytelling. Though while DePalma took his Hitchcock influence and incorporated it into his own sensibilities, some filmmakers like Gus Van Sant or D.J. Caruso, have made ill-advised exacting remakes of Hitchcock’s work with varying degrees of success. Even with the official remake in Van Sant’s shot-for-shot “Psycho,” or in Caruso’s unofficial and doltish “Disturbia,” it looks as if Hollywood has learned very little from the past as another remake has been announced only days after news that there’s another “Rebecca” in the works.

Variety is reporting that “Suspicion,” the 1941 feature starring Joan Fontaine and Cary Grant, is set to head to the silver screen once again courtesy of Paramount and Montecito Pictures. The film is based on a 1932 novel by Francis Iles entitled “Before the Fact,” which chronicles a timid young Englishwoman who marries a wealthy gentleman, then in typical Hitchcock-fashion begins to suspect him of trying to murder her. There is a sliver of hope for this one though, as AMC’s “The Killing” executive producer and showrunner Veena Sud is set to make her feature debut and pen the script with this one, so it’s certainly in her wheelhouse, that also includes stints executive producing CBS’s “Cold Case” and writing “Push, Nevada” for ABC.

As we said, this news comes on the heels of the announcement that there’s a remake of Hitchcock’s “Rebecca” in the works with “Eastern Promises” scribe Steven Knight attached, as well as a more “gadgety” “To Catch a Thief” remake from “Piranha 3D” mastermind Josh Stolberg revealed last year. As far as remaining hopeful for these Hitchcock remakes, we’ll lump this “Suspicion” one in with the Steven Knight-penned “Rebecca,” as both Sud and Knight seem capable of honoring the legendary helmer's work while also doing something different with the material. It’s also worth noting that “Suspicion” backers Montecito Pictures are also in pre-production on the “Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho” with Anthony Hopkins as the filmmaker over at Fox Searchlight Pictures, so they certainly have Hitch on the brain.

No word on when this is expected to roll in front of cameras, but with Sud involved, we’re remaining optimistic about this one.