There are good ideas, there are great ideas, and there is "Ben Wheatley is in talks to remake The Wages Of Fear", which may be the greatest idea I've ever heard.

Here's the news, via Deadline:

British director Ben Wheatley, one of the hottest filmmakers coming through right now, is in talks to write and direct a remake of the classic thriller The Wages Of Fear. Wheatley’s wife and frequent collaborator Amy Jump would co-write the project, which is still in the early stages of development.

You may recall the Wheatley/Jump partnership from such other incredible movies as High-Rise, A Field In England, and Kill List. You may recall The Wages Of Fear for being one of the greatest thrillers ever made (and one that's already been remade once, in 1977, by William Friedkin). I'm a big fan of both Friedkin's Sorcerer and Wages Of Fear, and in no way do I believe that either film can be improved upon. That said: I am hugely interested to see Wheatley and Jump's take on this material. When those two get together, an ugly sort of magic happens.

For those not in the know: The Wages Of Fear is a 1953 thriller directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot. The plot revolves around two teams of men who are tasked with driving a pair of massive, cumbersome trucks filled with nitroglycerin across a stretch of rugged terrain. The nitroglycerin they're transporting is incredibly sensitive, so the men are constantly in danger of driving a little too fast - or hitting the wrong bump in the road - and suddenly wiping out everything in a 500-foot radius. This might not sound like the most pulse-pounding thing ever, but lemme tell you: Clouzot's film is masterclass in suspense.

Friedkin made a few modern adjustments to Clouzot's formula with Sorcerer - enough so that you'd forgive the guy for remaking what many already considered to be a perfect film - and, hey, whatta ya know: he made an excellent film, as well. The idea of Ben Wheatley putting his stamp on the same material (where will he and Jump's version take place? What sort of men will these new characters be? Can we assume Michael Smiley's going to play one of them?) is enormously exciting, and I think he'll have no problem delivering something that's worth to stand alongside Friedkin and Clouzot's versions.

Anyway, Wheatley recently wrapped work on Free Fire, so that'll be the next time we see his name onscreen...unless you still haven't seen High-Rise, in which case you get two Ben Wheatley movies before this Wages Of Fear remake arrives (side note: I wonder if Wheatley and Jump will stick with the original title?), assuming that's where this is headed. Please, god, let that be where this is headed.

What a time to be alive. Assuming you're a Ben Wheatley fan, of course. If you're not this must all be very frustrating for you.