When a foreign film is successful, you can count on an English-language remake following nearly every time. Variety reports that THE GUILTY, a Danish thriller which premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival, will soon be remade as Bold Films, Riva Marker's Nine Stories Productions, and Jake Gyllenhaal have acquired the rights with Gyllenhaal set to star in the remake.
THE GUILTY follows a police officer who is under investigation and has been demoted to desk-work at an emergency call center. After receiving a terrified phone call from a kidnapped woman, he must battle his internal demons in order to save her. Certainly sounds like a good vehicle for Jake Gyllenhaal. In a statement to Variety, Gyllenhaal and Marker said, "We saw ‘The Guilty’ at Sundance and were blown away. Möller’s film masterfully weaves tension into an acute character study, and is exactly the kind of material that Nine Stories is excited to develop. We are honored to be able to adapt it for American audiences alongside Bold Films." Bold Films chairman Michel Litvak added: "We are thrilled to acquire this great IP for Jake. It’s a terrific vehicle for him to craft a super taut, elevated thriller." THE GUILTY's co-writer/director Gustav Möller and producer Lina Flint have come onboard as executive producers, with Flint saying "We are super excited about this collaboration and we look very much forward to continue the amazing journey with ‘The Guilty.'" The original film is also serving as the Danish entry in the 91st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film, so there's a chance you might be hearing much more about it early next year.
Jake Gyllenhaal will next be seen reuniting with NIGHTCRAWLER director Dan Gilroy for VELVET BUZZSAW which will hit Netflix on February 1, 2019. That role will be followed by a high-profile appearance in SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME as he'll be playing Mysterio in the sequel which lands on July 5, 2019.