Steven Knight’s ‘Vertigo’ Remake With Robert Downey Jr. Is Still In Development
First announced in 2023, Robert Downey Jr. was first announced to be taking James Stewart’s role in a Vertigo remake, back in 2023 but since then updates have remained dormant… until today, when the project got a new exciting update.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, an adaptation of Thomas Narjecac’s novel of the same name, opened in theatres 67 years ago to a commercial failure despite now being considered one of the greatest films of all time. Read more about the Steven Knight Vertigo remake below.
As of March 2023, Paramount had acquired the rights to a remake of the film with Peaky Blinders creator, Steven Knight, serving as screenwriter on the film and Robert Downey Jr. set to star as John “Scottie” Ferguson, the main role who was previously played by legendary actor James Stewart.
Steven Knight Gives A New Update On ‘Vertigo’ Remake
Today in an exclusive interview with news outlet The Direct, Steven Knight shared that the film is still in the works, calling himself an idiot for wanting to remake the “best film ever made”, here are his comments:
“I’m having flashbacks to about an hour ago when I was writing. It’s an interesting—I mean, of course, people consider it the best film ever made. So you’d have to be an idiot to adapt it, and so that’s what I am… But, you know, I like stuff like that. I like it. It’s just so weird to try and do it and just give it a go. Taking that plot apart is like diffusing a second World War time bomb. It’s all over. It’s very complex, but it’s what’s occupying my waking hours.”
With Knight comparing the process of wanting to remake Vertigo to diffusing a World War II time bomb, it can be deduced how much of a nightmare goes into adapting one of the greatest films of all time. Last time a Hitchcock film remake occurred was Gus Van Sant’s Psycho which was both a commercial and critical failure.
It is currently unknown who will be directing the film or who will be co-starring alongside Downey Jr. as the female lead Madeleine / Judy, previously played by Kim Novak. Maybe executives will set their eyes on popular Hollywood actresses such as Scarlett Johansson or Ana de Armas. It’s possible that the Vertigo remake will enter production sometime after Downey Jr. has wrapped production on the upcoming Avengers films and Christopher Nolan’s next film following The Odyssey.
Purchase, rent and stream Hitchcock’s Vertigo below:
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