By In a continuing tradition of remaking and reworking classic film properties, Universal Studios is currently in the process of remaking The Night of the Hunter, the stone-cold 1955 classic thriller in which Robert Mitchum starred as a leering, violent conman masquerading as a Southern-drawling preacher.
Few details on the remake are known other than that Matt Orton will be penning the script. Orton’s previous work includes Operation Finale, the 2018 WWII drama that starred Ben Kingsley and Oscar Isaac. The original film was based on the novel of the same name by Davis Grubb, with a script by James Agee.
The Night of the Hunter was the only film to be directed by Charles Laughton, whose acting credits include Hitchcock’s Jamaica Inn and Kubrick’s Spartacus. Met with controversy in 1955 for its premise, in which Mitchum’s iconic Reverend Henry Powell stalks a pair of children for information on stashed loot, and was only a moderate critical success and a commercial failure. Since its release The Night of the Hunter has been recognized as a landmark film, and is widely considered one of the greatest of all time.
For more information regarding the remake, keep eyes peeled.
‘Night of the Hunter’ Remake in the Works at Universal (EXCLUSIVE) [Variety]