They're Remaking 'Angel Heart'?
Filed under: Horror, Deals, Noir, Remakes and Sequels
I'm starting to think I'm the only one out there who still follows the old maxim: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. But, it's downright silly of me to think that a movie producer would ever miss the chance to earn a few bucks on a remake. Variety reports that Michael De Luca has partnered with Alison Rosenzweig and Michael Gaeta on a remake of Alan Parker's (Evita) 1987 horror-suspense flick, Angel Heart.Angel Heart originally starred Mickey Rourke as a seedy private investigator hired to locate a nightclub singer who's gone on the run. Robert De Niro co-starred as Rourke's mysterious client, Louis Cyphre, along with Lisa Bonet as the daughter of a voodoo priest. The film had a little bit of everything: voodoo, hard-boiled detectives, the prince of darkness, and more plot twists than you can shake a stick at. Not to mention the film is probably best remembered for its controversial sex scenes starring a Cosby kid naked and rolling around in blood.
The film might not have been a huge hit upon release, but has gained cult status over the years, and according to Variety, De Luca "has long been a fan of the novel." The production is still in its early stages, and so far there are no names attached to the project. De Luca adds, "It's a great blend of genres with a great Faustian bargain, compelling, universal themes and a rare combination of literary and commercial appeal." One thing is for sure -- unless they have some changes planned for the update, I wouldn't exactly describe the story of Harry Angel as one with 'commercial appeal' ... would you?
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(Page 1)2. it's nice to see people rebelling against this (to no avail, i'm sure). like the announced "jacob's ladder" remake, this is one of the most unecessary remakes. i read the book (to which they also bought the rights) and the film actually surpassed it in tone and characterization. maybe they'll get miley cyrus to play epiphone to play off the controversy when lisa bonet took the role in the original. no. no. no. why, when there are so many unproduced and damn good scripts out there do they have to rehash films that don't need a remake?
Posted at 10:28PM on Oct 1st 2008 by Rubbersquare
3. Why? Because these lame "artists" have no imagination themselves and want to use someone else's work to make a buck. The whole remake syndrome disgusts me. Why were all those Jap horror movies remade when the original was infinitely better? Yes, it's quite simple. No creativity and money hungry. The Italians have been doing it for years, but it's called a "rip off" not a "remake."
Posted at 11:16PM on Oct 1st 2008 by cougartrak
4. I guess its all about the profit isnt it. In the light of Mickey Rourke's renewed career due the The Wrestler the studio could have re-released Angel Heart or at least just repackaged it in a glossy cardboard box! It does stand up as a stylish, darkly adult noir with enough creepyness to get you to overlook the cheesy flaws- the babys glowing eyes at the end being the one I most remember.
Movies are remade all the time. The question is will they better the original? Nope I shouldnt think so. They could call it Angel Delight an turn it into a high school teen slasher romp where our hero looses his memory after a particularly heavy session on the PS2.
Given the amount of RUBBISH there is out there at the moment it would do really well!
Posted at 8:39AM on Oct 2nd 2008 by pete thomson
5. 1) the original wasn't a huge hit 2) but it was an artistic success 3) there's little chance that the remake will be a hit (even if you completely destroy the story) and 4) it's likely that you won't come close to matching let alone surpassing the artistic success of the original. OK, it's true that I haven't read the original material, but I think that Angel Heart is pretty darn terrific. Therefore, I ask, "Why?" I'm sure that there has to be some other good material out there that begs for masterful interpretation.
Posted at 9:17AM on Oct 2nd 2008 by ML
6. Why remake perfection??? What's next? A remake of The Sixth Sense???
Here's an idea... Make something NEW!
Posted at 10:16AM on Oct 2nd 2008 by RAT
8. Where does Lisa Bonet find the time or the need? She has a new show coming on ABC next week... isnt that enough? Actually the show looks pretty cool. Called Life On Mars. Its a cop show, but kind of like LOST in the sense that the main character is a cop in 2008 and then after an accident he wakes up as a cop in 1973. He doesnt know how he got there or how to get back. Two words... Harvey Keitel! Coming to my TV on a show! So excited! if you havent heard of it-
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvL4Z-XXYNg
Posted at 11:04PM on Oct 3rd 2008 by Betty
9. Please tell me your kidding, nobody could ever
be as SEXY as Mickey Rourke in Angel Heart.
Even though I would Love to see it. Nobody could
ever touch the original Harry Angel !!
Posted at 11:37AM on Oct 15th 2008 by Angel
10. Please tell me your kidding, nobody could ever
be as SEXY as Mickey Rourke in Angel Heart.
Even though I would Love to see it. Nobody could
ever touch the original Harry Angel !!
Posted at 12:08PM on Oct 15th 2008 by Angel
1. Why? I mean, really; why?
Will they recreate the unsettling jazz saxophone music? Can anyone match DeNiro's masterful performance -- "Mephistopheles is such a mouthful"? Just watch him eating a hard boiled egg while he tells Harry that in some cultures eggs represent the soul. Now think back to Pacino playing Satan in the Devil's Advocate and compare.
The atmosphere in that movie was creepy beyond belief and I don't think they can top it.
Posted at 9:37PM on Oct 1st 2008 by John