Big news dropping late on a Thursday night: Sony's long-threatened reboot of THE GRUDGE is moving forward once again. Quit your sighing, though. There's good news. They've hired a very intriguing person to steer this particular ship.
Nicolas Pesce, who made his debut on last year's THE EYES OF MY MOTHER, has been hired to write and direct THE GRUDGE. Jeff Buhler (THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN) had written the last draft (back in 2014), but sounds like Pesce will be putting his own spin on the thing from here on. At the moment, he's finishing up PIERCING, which stars Mia Wasikowska.
No details are available on THE GRUDGE just yet, but you know what to expect. The synopsis of the 2004 American version, directed by Takashi Shimizu:
Sarah Michelle Gellar (TV's Buffy The Vampire Slayer ) stars as an American nurse who has come to work in Tokyo. Following a series of horrifying and mysterious deaths, she encounters the vengeful supernatural spirit that possesses its victims, claims their souls, then passes its curse to another person in a spreading chain of horror. Now, she must find a way to break this supernatural spell or become the next victim of an ancient evil that never dies, but forever lives to kill.
So probably more of that.
I thought THE EYES OF MY MOTHER was not only one of the very best horror movies of last year, but one of the best movies, period. The only thing that could have possibly made me look forward to a new iteration of THE GRUDGE was the hiring of an interesting director, and Sony has certainly done just that.
No production schedule or release date to share just yet.