Date: 24th October 2000

Director Planning U.S. Version Of Cult U.K. Horror Flick


Joe Berlinger, the documentary filmmaker who recently directed Book of Shadows: Blair Witch Project 2, is now planning to remake the classic British horror film The Wicker Man, setting it in the U.S. When it was originally released in 1973, the Robin Hardy thriller gave a lift to the British film industry, and it continues to have a wide cult following in Britain. "I originally saw the Wicker Man about 18 years ago and really liked it," Berlinger told the Scotland on Sunday newspaper. "I thought this would be a perfect film to remake on U.S. soil, which I know will drive people crazy." Berlinger's comments seemed justified Monday when a spokesman for the film organization Scottish Screen said in an interview with the London Independent: "You attempt a remake of a film so beloved by so many at your peril."

Source: Studio Briefing