While there are always mixed feelings about remaking classic cinema, it’s certainly a plus knowing talent like Ben Affleck and David Fincher are attached to Warner’s newest venture, Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train. The idea for the remake had been kicking around for some time, but after the box-office success of Gone Girl, the green-light was a no-brainer.
The film will be produced by Affleck and Matt Damon’s Pearl Street under the title Strangers. Not only will the title get an facelift, the story will as well. Rather than taking place on a train, Affleck will play a movie star (not a far stretch for him) in the middle of an Oscar campaign during awards season. After his private plane breaks down, he is given a ride to Los Angeles on another plane by a wealthy stranger…cue the twist.
Despite Affleck’s hectic schedule — directing and starring in the Dennis Lehane novel adaptation Live By Night in the spring and starring in Justice League in 2016 — Strangers will be going the fast-track route.
Given Fincher’s stellar filmography as a director with films like Fight Club, Seven, and Gone Girl, we’re anxious to see how well he’ll pull of the twist in this Hitchcock classic.