In the annals of cinematic history there are very few directors that are held in as high regard as the original Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. His 1940 gothic psychological thriller REBECCA has long been hailed as one of his masterworks and today we have news that Nikolaj Arcel is set to direct the Dreamworks-produced remake of the Master’s first American project.
Deadline is reporting that Arcel will be working from a screenplay by EASTERN PROMISES scribe Steven Knight and that many young actresses are already circling the coveted title role.
Based on the Daphne Du Maurier novel, the original REBECCA focused on a naive young woman who marries a rich widower and moves into his mansion, only to discover that the memory of the first wife is maintaining a grip on her husband and the servants.
The original film starred Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine, and it won two Academy Awards, including the Best Picture Oscar, out of a total of 11 nominations.
Here’s hoping that Arcel and Knight take some of the novels darker elements and amplify them. Even Hitchcock’s vision of the material was unsettling enough, but with Knight on script duty I’m sure the film will deliver even more creepiness than Hitch was allowed to show in his version.
We’ll keep you updated on the remake of REBECCA as we hear it.