American Mary directors to helm remake of David Cronenberg’s Rabid

Variety has learned that David Cronenberg's RABID is getting the remake treatment. The site is reporting that John Vidette’s Somerville House Releasing and producers Paul Lalonde and Michael Walker have tapped AMERICAN MARY directors Jen and Sylvia Soska to helm a feature film update of the Cronenberg flick, as well as a TV series based on the 1977 horror movie.

The Soska sisters other directing credits include DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK, SEE NO EVIL 2, VENDETTA, and the "T is for Torture Porn" segment from THE ABCS OF DEATH 2, and in a statement the duo said, "The work of David Cronenberg is legendary and ‘Rabid’ is much more than just a horror movie. The real message of his film is powerful, and even more pivotal as we look at the world around us today. It’s an honor to be involved in this love letter to his original, which we handle with the same respect as Paul Schrader’s ‘Cat People,’ Alexandre Aja’s ‘The Hills Have Eyes’ and John Carpenter’s ‘The Thing.'"

RABID was one of Cronenberg's early films, and "explored the world of experimental plastic surgery with Marilyn Chambers playing a woman injured in a motorcycle accident who underwent a surgical operation and developed a stinger that she used to feed on people’s blood — triggering an outbreak of a rabies-like epidemic that turned its victims into bloodthirsty zombies."

Filming is expected to begin this summer in Canada, which means the remake will probably be released sometime next year.