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Universal Remaking Cronenberg's Twisted Videodrome

by Alex Billington
April 26, 2009

Another day, another remake. Universal has announced that they are remaking David Cronenberg's 1983 thriller Videodrome. They've already hired writer Ehren Kruger (of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen most recently) to put together a script, with Daniel Bobker (The Skeleton Key, The Brothers Grimm) producing. No word on a director or anything else, but they are modernizing it, turning into a "large-scale sci-fi action thriller." A remake of Cronenberg's Scanners is also in development, but it has hit some snags as of recent. Universal had to track down the rights all the way to Canadian distribution vet Rene Malo.

The original Videodrome starred James Woods as the head of Civic TV Channel 83, who makes his station relevant by programming "Videodrome," a series that depicts torture and murder that transfixes viewers. This updated remake will modernize that concept and infuse it with sci-fi elements like nano-technology. I'm not even going to really say much about this, because I know Cronenberg fans are going to tear this news apart. I'll wait to hear more before I start criticizing their decision, because who knows how it'll turn out, and it may introduce new viewers to Cronenberg's older work. As of now, Cronenberg won't be involved.

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DoomCanoe

... This Remake/Reeboot thing is getting way way way out of hand. like I'm still aching over the Total Recall Re-boot and now Videodrome... and Scanners! why Alex... Why? next will be Johnny Pneumonic... i can feel it and it hurts
Conrad

You're absolutely right, Alex. Being a fan of the movie and a fan of Cronenberg, this is a disgraceful idea so far. Jazz it up with nano-tech and make it an action-thriller? arghh! If they want to remake it, at least make it in the same vein as the original. I mean - it was so damned good!!
Alyx

AAUGH! How could they do this!? This film was exactly what it was meant to be. It nailed it right on the head. It does not need a remake, and a remake only sullies the original. I'm extremely ticked by this one.
The Kid

Shit like this makes me want to be a director less and less, Hollywood is fucking lame right now, it's ridiculous, is there no studio willing to make an original idea for a movie. This just ruined my night a bit.
Dark Helmet

How come no one is remaking "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers?" I mean, with inner city issues, gay rights and all, this concept could take on a WHOLE other meaning... It could be like "Brokeback Mountain," only with lots of singing, jumping around and shit...
Dark Helmet

Oh, and #1....nice pun, man!
Stevo

I happened to see videodrome once and it is a crazy fucked up movie. I can not imagine something like that being made today for mainstream audiences. Is hollywood completely out of ideas?
http://www.ambienceofmedia.com/ Dan Winclechter

Umm, I know Variety wrote that logline for the original Videodrome, but it's blatantly incorrect. Videodrome is my favorite film of all time, and hearing that it's being turned into some nanotech-infused epic action-thriller would have me laughing my ass off if I weren't simultaneously so angry.
d1rEct

#1 it was getting out of hand years ago.
Brian O'Blivion

DEATH TO REMAKES! LONG LIVE THE NEW FLESH!
http://COCAINEBLUNTS.COM MAYNHOLUP!

mayyynnn hol up mayn! nah mayn!!!! dis a crime mayn Croney thowed mayn dey shuddint do dis mayn universal sum jackaz mayn!!
http://midnightmoviereview.blogspot.com midnightmovies

These people just don't seem to understand. Cronenberg is subversive. You can't mainstream subversive counter-cinema. It's completely idiotic and I'm mortally offended by the suggestion of Cronenberg re-makes. At least it will flop.
JimD

Lol another remake.
The Heavy

Entire team in Hollywood, are BABIES!!!
Itri

Fail.
movieboy

this dont make sense it wont work cause the movie aint something that the general public going to watch do these people in hollywood dont realize that not all movies back in the days need a remake
2+2=4?

I hope huge asteroid is on its way to hit Earth very soon.
The Duke of New York

Stupid fucking people. VIDEODROME was made at a time when video was just being exploited/popularized in the forms of home video, cable tv, porn, network sex & violence, video art and MTV. It was such a product of it’s time a nightmare version of what all that stuff poured into a blender and what it could become. Now that time is over. A remake is as irrelevant as a remake of “The Net” for Christ’s sake. This is beyond un-original. Dumb fucks.
PJ H

Soon there will be a Howard the Duck remake
jman571

Dude don't fucking remake Cronenberg. I haven't really watched enough of his movies to form an opinion on him, but I watched eXistenZ a few days ago and now even I understand enough about his type of movies that YOU DON'T REMAKE THEM into stupidly-large blockbuster films.
thanks

how about a remake of "Terminator Salvation", you dump F****!?!?
DCompose

FUCK OFF! FUCK OFF! LEAVE THESE MOVIES ALONE!
Tom Dearsley

The vagina in my chest disagrees with this remake.
wm

I smell a star wars remake? This is what happens when you don't own your films. The studio does and boom...
Zach

fml.
Suki

How about re-releasing older cult classic movies instead of re-making them. There is an entire generation who probably hasn't seen them yet. Instead of getting the affect of the originals they will be subjected to re-made, re-envisioned fodder. Is there no originality or creativity left in hollywood or are studios and producers too lazy and cheap to care!! The sad part is people will pay to see the re-makes and if the re-make does poorly then the 'movie' gets blamed and the original suffers with it.
joe

Give them a chance to remake old shit and if it sucks then don't fuckn watch it. why be a hater. people of this generation probably won't like that old shit in black and white and the stop motion animation. if you want to force it on your kids then fine but im not going to make my kids watch three stooges.