Hitchcock’s Best Picture Winner ‘REBECCA’ is Set For a Remake

Earlier last year, I reviewed a handful of Hitchcock films that got a hi-def Blu-ray release.  Reviewing those discs served as a first time watch for me of those classic films.  One of the standouts from that group for me was the gothic psychological thriller Rebecca (you can read my review of the film and the Blu-ray disc HERE).  In the film, the drawn-out and dramatic setup finally gives way to some scenes with an underlying sense of dread shot in stunning black and white photography. Deadline is now reporting that The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Swedish version) screenwriter Nikolaj Arcel is set to direct a remake of Rebecca from a screenplay by Steven Knight (Eastern Promises).  The original 1940 film was an adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier’s celebrated novel.  Eleven nominations were bestowed on the film by the Academy and it went on to win two of those including Best Picture.  As it’s often discussed, Hitchcock did not win Best Director for the film nor for any other film to follow.  Being a fan of the original film, I’m curious to see if they stick with the period setting of the original book and film or if they will update it and plant the story in a modern setting.  We will have to see as more info regarding the project emerges.

Those unfamiliar with the film can find the synopsis below.

When a naive young woman marries a rich widower and settles in his gigantic mansion, she finds the memory of the first wife maintaining a grip on her husband and the servants

Source: Deadline