Criterion Remakes: The Weinsteins Hire A Director For Remake Of Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai; First Photos From Straw Dogs Update Hits The Web

This week hasn’t been a good one for those who keep a few of the most beloved members of the Criterion Collection close to their chests.

First up, Variety is reporting that The Weinstein Company has hired a director for their upcoming remake of Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai.   Scott Mann has been tapped to direct the film, which is being penned by Young Guns scribe John Fusco.   Talk about some A-list talent.

This remake will feature a $60 million budget, and will see the story transplanted to modern times, and set in Northern Thailand, with the samurai being replaced with military contractors, brought in to protect a village.   So basically it’s Seven Samurai, without any of the time period aspects, and without samurai.   Sounds like a great idea in my book.

Sarcasm aside, another remake has seen some news hit the wire, as thanks to Entertainment Weekly (via Collider), a few photos from the upcoming remake of the Sam Peckinpah masterpiece, Straw Dogs has hit, and is the first bit of news we’ve heard out of the film’s camp in quite some time.   Directed by Rod Lurie (who himself understands that ‘it’s a fool’s errand to try to outdo Peckinpah on his turf,’ the film stars James Marsden and Kate Bosworth as a ‘husband and wife who clash with sadistic small-town Mississippi locals.’

As a fan of the original film, I don’t quite understand why a remake would be appetizing to studios, but then again, this is a world where a Seven Samurai remake can exist (Magnificent Seven not withstanding).   All in all, I dig these photos, but then again, that’s all they are, so it’s hard to get all that excited about it.

What do you think?

Source: Variety / Entertainment Weekly