Jake Gyllenhaal is making a week of reuniting with past collaborators. It was announced yesterday that Gyllenhaal was teaming up with Denis Villeneuve on a new project and now it has been revealed that the actor is joining forces with director Antoine Fuqua again on a remake of the Danish thriller, THE GUILTY.
Fuqua and Gyllenhaal previously worked together on the 2015 sports drama, SOUTHPAW, where Gyllenhaal played boxer Billy "The Great" Hope, reigning Junior Middleweight Boxing Champion of the World. Billy seemingly has it all with an impressive career, a beautiful and loving wife, an adorable daughter, and a lavish lifestyle. When tragedy strikes leaving his wife dead, and his daughter taken from him, Hope hits rock bottom before turning to an unlikely savior at a run-down local gym, Tick Willis, a retired fighter and trainer to the city's toughest amateur boxers. The film also stars Forest Whitaker and Rachel McAdams and while the film received mixed reviews, it was well-liked by audiences and Gyllenhaal's performance was praised by critics.
As for THE GUILTY, the original Danish film was well-received by critics, scoring a 97% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film takes place exclusively in one location and follows an alarm dispatcher and former police officer, Asger Holm, who answers an emergency call from a kidnapped woman. When the call is suddenly disconnected, the search for the woman and her kidnapper begins. The film went on to make the shortlist for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards.
The remake of THE GUILTY is set to go into production in November with strict health and safety protocols in place due to the ongoing global pandemic. The official description, found below, makes it seem like it will follow the original closely:
"It takes place over the course of a single morning in a 911 dispatch call center. Call operator Joe Bayler (Gyllenhaal) tries to save a caller in grave danger-but he soon discovers that nothing is as it seems, and facing the truth is the only way out."
THE GUILTY will be scripted by True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto but there is no word on other casting choices other than Gyllenhaal as of this writing. Are YOU interested in seeing a remake of THE GUILTY?