#80s Horror Classic The Changeling Is Getting a Remake with Director Anders Engstr&#246m

Director Anders Engström is remaking the 1980 supernatural thriller The Changeling. No production start date has been revealed, but it is expected to shoot in Ireland. Joel B. Michaels was the original producer of the 1980 movie starring George C. Scott and he is on board for the remake and says that he kept the basic form of the story the same. “I just added another layer of an additional bigger idea onto that,” he says. “That [idea] made it the same, but in a fresh and bigger way, [with] bigger stakes.”

The Changeling remake focuses on John Russell, an accomplished composer who moves into a haunted mansion following the deaths of his wife and daughter, who were killed in a car accident. The remake will be an update and Joel B. Michaels is really excited to get to work on the upcoming project. He had this to say.

“I am overjoyed at having the unique opportunity to reimagine an updated version of the iconic film The Changeling that I produced so many years ago. It’s flattering to know that it proved to have inspired a rash of filmmakers that paid homage to the original film. I am excited to be working with Anders Engström who will bring his own contemporary vision to the film.”

Tab Murphy recently went into detail about what horror fans can expect with The Changeling remake. “I don’t think this is a shot-for-shot remake,” Murphy says. “I think you’d call it a reimagining.” Murphy has taken the story and added bits to keep it fresh and interesting, which will ultimately push the remake in a new direction. He went on and had this to say.

“What Joel didn’t realize is that I grew up loving horror movies. And it’s so bizarre to me that I’m 40 years into my career and I’ve never written a horror film or a scary movie or a ghost story or whatever. I started to talk about the original, I started to talk about what I thought it needed in order to contemporize it and bring it to a whole new generation of fans.”

The Changeling remake was originally going to take place in Venice, Italy, but Tab Murphy was able to persuade them to try Ireland after he conducted some research. From there, Murphy did tried to find something that he “could bring to the table that was fresh and new to the story.” He states, “I found something that was remarkable and true, and it just worked really well in terms of complementing the original story.”

From the sound of things, the remake will not be a note for note retelling of The Changeling, which could see some mixed reactions from horror fans. With that being said, the original will always be there for new and old fans to go back and check out. This new version sounds like it will be its own thing while taking place in the world of the original version. Deadline was the first to report on The Changeling remake.

Topics: The Changeling