Earlier this month, we learned that Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will be giving David Fincher’s 2002 home invasion thriller Panic Room a 4K UHD release in February – and now, Variety has revealed that the movie is also getting a remake next year! The Panic Room remake is a telefilm that’s coming our way from the Sony Pictures Television-owned Brazilian production company Floresta and sees Isis Valverde (Alarum) taking on the lead role, a character played by Jodie Foster in the original film.
Scripted by David Koepp, the original Panic Room has the following synopsis: Trapped in their New York brownstone’s panic room, a hidden chamber built as a sanctuary in the event of break-ins, newly divorced Meg Altman (Jodie Foster) and her daughter, Sarah (Kristen Stewart), play a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with three intruders—Burnham (Forest Whitaker), Raoul (Dwight Yoakam) and Junior (Jared Leto)—during a brutal home invasion. But the room itself is the focal point because what the intruders really want is inside it.
The remake, which is currently in pre-production, is said to be “a fresh take on the thriller” that will “bring a fresh intensity” to the suspense while “exploring timely ethical dilemmas.” Gabriela Amaral Almeida (Friendly Beast, The Father’s Shadow) is set to direct the film, which will center on a recently widowed woman and her young daughter as they seek refuge in a secret panic room after burglars invade their home. What they don’t know is that the intruders are after something hidden in the very room in which they’ve locked themselves.
Floresta Artistic Director of Fiction, Thiago Teitelroit, had this to say about the project: “Besides an extremely current plot, we developed an electrifying thriller that also brings an important ethical discussion. The story, an IP of Sony, aligned with what we were looking for: a product that allows great performances from the cast and direction in a narrative capable of appealing to a wide audience.“
Valverde added, “2024 has been a challenging yet generous year for me, full of possibilities, plans, and projects finally getting off the drawing board. Ending this year with such great news is incredible. Being chosen to play this role is an honor, as is sharing the set with Gabriela Amaral, a truly unique director and a wonderful team. I hope to deliver a performance full of colors that overflows the screen.“
What do you think of Panic Room getting a Brazilian remake? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.