A rumor had been going around that Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope was being developed into a remake. And World of Reel is now confirming that the project is indeed happening and the film may be securing David Fincher to direct. Fincher was recently trying to develop a remake of another Alfred Hitchcock classic, Strangers on a Train, which was said to be eyeing Brad Pitt and Ben Affleck to star. However, now it seems as though Fincher is instead opting to remake Rope as, according to Netflix’s Kasey Moore, the film is moving forward. Denzel Washington and/or Charlize Theron may be up for roles in the film.
The plot synopsis for the Alfred Hitchcock original reads,
“Just before hosting a dinner party, Philip Morgan (Farley Granger) and Brandon Shaw (John Dall) strangle a mutual friend to death with a piece of rope, purely as a Nietzsche-inspired philosophical exercise. Hiding the body in a chest upon which they then arrange a buffet dinner, the pair welcome their guests, including the victim’s oblivious fiancée (Joan Chandler) and the college professor (James Stewart) whose lectures inadvertently inspired the killing.”
Meanwhile, Netflix is extremely interested in hiring David Fincher to be heavily involved with an English-language spin-off, tentatively titled Squid Game: America. While there hasn’t been confirmation whether Squid Game: America will be a closely tied spin-off, it is expected the project will more likely be part of the original Squid Game world rather than an out-and-out remake. According to rumor podcast TheInSneider, “Netflix is courting DAVID FINCHER to produce and direct an American take on SQUID GAME. No idea whether he’s engaging, but they want him to tackle this project BADLY, per multiple sources.” It is also being said that Dennis Kelly, a British writer and producer, who is best known for stage plays Debris and Utopia and movies like Matilda the Musical and Black Sea, will be set to write the project.
What’s on Netflix had conveyed that Fincher has at least four projects in development at Netflix, which includes Squid Game: America. There is also his Robert Towne-penned Chinatown prequel, a project titled Bitterroot, and “an untitled crime thriller.” The untitled crime thriller is believed to be the yet-to-be-announced Rope remake.