Silence Of The Lambs (2010)Source: ‘Silence Of The Lambs’ (Jonathan Demme, 1991); ‘The Silence Of The Lambs’ novel (Thomas Harris, 1988).From: UniversalDirector: Rupert WainwrightStarring: unknown (rumoured: Javier Bardem as Hannibal Lecter)Producers: Scott Rudin; Thomas Harris.Notes: No press releases so far. Demme’s 1991 adaptation of Thomas Harris’s 1988 thriller gathered five Oscars including best picture, but the Hannibal Lecter franchise is somewhat fragmented: the critical and box-office failure of the 2006 Hannibal Rising prequel constitutes a failed attempt to re-leverage the Hannibal character in a series. What then is the ambit of Wainwright’s remake? Is it a sequel to an existing remake (2002’s Red Dragon, which is a remake of the 1985 Manhunter, which is based on the first book featuring Lecter)? Or will Red Dragon v3.0 follow as a prequel if SotL v2.0 succeeds…?

The Exorcist (2010)Source: ‘The Exorcist’ (William Friedkin, 1973); ‘The Exorcist’ novel (William Peter Blatty, 1971).From: Warner BrosDirector: Unknown. Rumoured: Billy Ray; Ridley Scott; M. Night Shyamalan (not now, I think).Producers: Joel Silver; Rob Tapert; William Peter Blatty.Starring: Chris Cooper (Merrin); Peter Sarsgaard (Karras); Dakota Fanning (Regan – rumoured); Jodie Foster (Chris MacNeill – rumoured).Notes: Press release: “A bold re-imagining of William Peter Blatty’s vision of the nightmares of post-Vietnam 1960s America , 2010’s The Exorcist finds a more contemporary darkness fighting the powers of good for the soul of Regan MacNeill…” What, so the kid is going to be possessed by Al-Qaeda? A shame that Stellan Skarsgård won’t get a crack at it, as he has played the role of Merrin twice in both versions of the Exorcist prequel (Max Von Sydow played it once-and-a-bit, with a small cameo in Exorcist II).

Space Odyssey (2011)Source: ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)From: MGMDirector: Steven Soderbergh Producers: Steven Soderbergh; Kerry Orent; George Clooney.Starring: Julianne Moore (Laura Bowman); Jennifer Van Dyck (Haley Lynn Poole); David Strathairn (‘HAL’ – rumoured).Notes: Press release: “After Solaris, It became clear to the administrators of the Kubrick estate that Steven Soderbergh was the only viable candidate amongst many seeking permission to remake the late director’s most famous work. Soderbergh’s emotionally impactful vision of a fledgling mankind making first contact with a superior alien intelligence will take full advantage of the CGI technology that Stanley Kubrick would doubtless have used if it had been available in the 1960s…The recasting of the astronauts as women is pure logic: we’re talking about a sustained space voyage where air, food and water are at a premium, and any candidate who can offer lower consumption of those precious commodities will be the obvious choice”.

Google “Peter Hyams 2010” to find out just how badly this idea sucks. Arthur C. Clarke’s death in March of this year finally released this property onto the market. One question (but it’s a biggie): why…?