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Scott Derrickson Will Direct Charlize Theron in 'Zwart Water' Remake

by Ethan Anderton
October 18, 2011

Before the filmmaker scared audiences the wrong way with a remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still, director Scott Derrickson wrote and directed real horror in the form of The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Now Summit Entertainment is hiring Derrickson to helm Zwart Water, a remake of the Dutch horror film which went by the title Two Eyes Staring here in the United States, and even played at Fantastic Fest. In addition, Charlize Theron is not only attached to star in the film but produce it as well since she picked up the remake rights last year through her Denver and Delilah Films production banner. More below!

Here's the official synopsis for the original film:

Nine-year-old Lisa has always thought that her mother, Christine, looked at her like she was someone else. As a result, Lisa feels disconnected from her mother, but is very close to her father, Paul. When her maternal grandmother dies leaving the family a huge old house, Lisa and her parents move from Holland to Belgium. The house was Christine's childhood home, but she had a falling out with her mother and hadn't been back in years.

Moving to a new location can be a very traumatic experience for a nine-year-old girl. Lisa is lonely, bored and frankly a little bit put out (particularly with her mother) for putting her through the move. To ease the isolation, Lisa creates an imaginary friend to keep her company and join her on her explorations of the large, old house. Her parents aren't terrifically concerned about this development. Lisa has always had an active imagination and actually left an old imaginary friend back in Holland.

When her invisible friend starts to explain secrets about her mother's childhood and her previously unmentioned twin sister, however, the fabric starts to unravel in this small family unit. Tensions increase, Lisa's behavior becomes erratic and potentially dangerous, and nuances are unearthed about Christine's childhood secrets that cast them in a very sinister light.

Heat Vision also says Derrickson wrote the script with The Exorcism of Emily Rose collaborator Paul Boardman. Though the aforementioned horror film had more courtroom drama than I would've liked, it was still quite a suspenseful horror thriller, so Derrickson should feel right at home with this new project. We're certainly going to see a lot of Theron over the next year with her starring in Young Adult later this year, not to mention both Ridley Scott's Prometheus and taking a villainous role in Snow White and the Huntsman as well. This horror role for Theron requires much more than terror and screaming, so that's a plus.

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