A few years back, it was announced that Neal H. Moritz, the producer behind cinematic acts of subtlety like “Furious 7,” “Jack the Giant Slayer,” “Battle: Los Angeles,” “S.W.A.T,” “Stealth,” and “I Am Legend,” was going to push ahead with a remake of Jacques Audiard‘s Oscar-nominated “A Prophet.” It sent a chill down our spine, but luckily, there was no further news…..until today….
READ MORE: Novelist Denis Lehane Tapped To Pen Remake Of ‘A Prophet’
Deadline report that Sam Raimi is in early talks to direct the movie. Not the most obvious choice, but an interesting one, and let’s not forget, Raimi has shown a penchant for surprises (check out his lean and nifty little thriller “A Simple Plan“). There is also a bit of silver lining to cling to as Dennis Lehane (“The Drop,” “The Wire,” “Mystic River“) is penning screenplay, and he seems to be the right voice to bring Audiard’s story to an American audience without losing any of the impact.
Raimi has a lot to come back from following the truly egregious “Oz The Great And Wonderful.” This sounds like a complete 180, and the kind of project that could rejuvenate his creative juices.
Can\’t wait to see the zooms he puts on the mouth razor sequence.
On one hand, this does not need to exist at all as A Prophet is a phenomenal film and could be botched horribly like that horrible Vanishing remake. On the other hand, the American remakes of Insomnia, The Departed and Girl with the Dragon Tattoo were not necessary either and they turned out fine plus Raimi is great at dramas as A SImple Plan is arguably his best film.
Oscar nominated*