Dria El
August 26th, 2001, 05:57 PM
Cage takes lead for Wicker Man remake (http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/08/26/stiscosco02014.html)
Phil Miller, Scottish Arts Correspondent
CULT Scottish movie The Wicker Man - a story of paganism and human sacrifice on a remote Hebridean island - is being remade by a Hollywood studio with Nicolas Cage in the lead role.
The original 1973 classic ends with a Presbyterian Scottish policeman, played by Edward Woodward, being burnt alive by frenzied sun-worshipping islanders.
Hollywood producers plan to transport the story across the Atlantic with Woodward's role played by Cage.
The Italian-American actor, an Oscar winner for Leaving Las Vegas, is renowned for his wild performances. His involvement in the £40m project has drawn criticism from Anthony Shaffer who wrote the original 1973 screenplay.
Shaffer claims Cage is wrong for the part of Howie, the celibate, sombre, God-fearing policeman who arrives in the fictional island of Summerisle to investigate the disappearance of a young girl.
"I don't think it bodes well that Cage wants to play Woodward's part and a lot of remakes have come to grief," he said.Shaffer said he wished to be consulted by the American studios before they forged ahead with the project. He despaired of the relocation of the plot to America.
"There is this attitude that if anything happens that is worth anything it has to be in the States."
The 1973 movie also starred Christopher Lee and Britt Ekland.
The new version is being made by Universal Studios in partnership with Saturn, Cage's own production company.
They plan to relocate the film's plot and setting to an island off the East Coast of America.
They hope to convince Lee to take part, though not in his original role of Lord Summerisle. The role of Willow, the pagan temptress played by Ekland in the original, has not been decided yet.
Director and writer Neil LaBute, whose films include Nurse Betty and In The Company Of Men, is also attached to the project and a first draft of the revamped script is set to be completed by Christmas.
Lenny Kornberg, senior vice president of production at Universal, confirmed that The Wicker Man was on the company's roster of pictures to be developed later this year.
"It will be a recreated version of the original," he said. "Cage will not be playing a puritanical or celibate Scottish policeman, but apart from that it won't be changed radically."
He said that Summerisle would be relocated to a location off the coast of America, "perhaps off the coast of North Carolina".
The £40m budget compares starkly with the £500,000 that was spent on the original by the film company British Lion.
Despite Cage's enthusiasm for the original film, executives at Universal have been less impressed.
"I was told it was a very remarkable film in some ways, but when I went to see it at a showing in New York I didn't think it was that good," said one executive. "However, it is a very 'remakable' film and when Nicolas Cage suddenly became interested we started to respond to it."
Ron Halpern, vice-president of French-based Canal movies, which owns the rights to the film, said: "Nicholas Cage is the ideal star for this production. He would work very well as the Woodward character.
"We have been working on this for some months and will see developments by the end of the year."
Canal has been searching for a suitable partner to recreate the film for more than a year.
Ok... my question is... Is this really a good idea? I mean, I've seen it and I just can't imagine the general population 'getting it'.
What do you think?
Phil Miller, Scottish Arts Correspondent
CULT Scottish movie The Wicker Man - a story of paganism and human sacrifice on a remote Hebridean island - is being remade by a Hollywood studio with Nicolas Cage in the lead role.
The original 1973 classic ends with a Presbyterian Scottish policeman, played by Edward Woodward, being burnt alive by frenzied sun-worshipping islanders.
Hollywood producers plan to transport the story across the Atlantic with Woodward's role played by Cage.
The Italian-American actor, an Oscar winner for Leaving Las Vegas, is renowned for his wild performances. His involvement in the £40m project has drawn criticism from Anthony Shaffer who wrote the original 1973 screenplay.
Shaffer claims Cage is wrong for the part of Howie, the celibate, sombre, God-fearing policeman who arrives in the fictional island of Summerisle to investigate the disappearance of a young girl.
"I don't think it bodes well that Cage wants to play Woodward's part and a lot of remakes have come to grief," he said.Shaffer said he wished to be consulted by the American studios before they forged ahead with the project. He despaired of the relocation of the plot to America.
"There is this attitude that if anything happens that is worth anything it has to be in the States."
The 1973 movie also starred Christopher Lee and Britt Ekland.
The new version is being made by Universal Studios in partnership with Saturn, Cage's own production company.
They plan to relocate the film's plot and setting to an island off the East Coast of America.
They hope to convince Lee to take part, though not in his original role of Lord Summerisle. The role of Willow, the pagan temptress played by Ekland in the original, has not been decided yet.
Director and writer Neil LaBute, whose films include Nurse Betty and In The Company Of Men, is also attached to the project and a first draft of the revamped script is set to be completed by Christmas.
Lenny Kornberg, senior vice president of production at Universal, confirmed that The Wicker Man was on the company's roster of pictures to be developed later this year.
"It will be a recreated version of the original," he said. "Cage will not be playing a puritanical or celibate Scottish policeman, but apart from that it won't be changed radically."
He said that Summerisle would be relocated to a location off the coast of America, "perhaps off the coast of North Carolina".
The £40m budget compares starkly with the £500,000 that was spent on the original by the film company British Lion.
Despite Cage's enthusiasm for the original film, executives at Universal have been less impressed.
"I was told it was a very remarkable film in some ways, but when I went to see it at a showing in New York I didn't think it was that good," said one executive. "However, it is a very 'remakable' film and when Nicolas Cage suddenly became interested we started to respond to it."
Ron Halpern, vice-president of French-based Canal movies, which owns the rights to the film, said: "Nicholas Cage is the ideal star for this production. He would work very well as the Woodward character.
"We have been working on this for some months and will see developments by the end of the year."
Canal has been searching for a suitable partner to recreate the film for more than a year.
Ok... my question is... Is this really a good idea? I mean, I've seen it and I just can't imagine the general population 'getting it'.
What do you think?