I found out in October that The Birds, an absolute classic from Alfred Hitchcock was being remade. And I wasn’t happy, in fact, I’m still not. The Birds should be left as it is, which is as a masterpiece from one of the greatest film directors ever to have lived. Unfortunately, what I think doesn’t count for much.
Platinum Dunes’ Brad Fuller and Andrew Form recently spoke to Collider about where the project is, which the pair are producing along with Michael Bay (Transformers, Bad Boys). The explain that the project is well underway and also have a light-hearted pop at Hitchcock.
“Martin [Campbell] has been working on the script and we’re expecting a script in the next 2-3 weeks, but that’s another one where its not like Drew, Michael and I think that we’re just going to crap all over Alfred Hitchcock’s movie. I mean, Alfred Hitchcock in a company wide opinion is probably the greatest director of what we do and other things too. And as someone, that at least Michael and I studied in college and there’s a reverence for him.”
“So that’s not a movie that we’re just going to step up and just go have birds attacking people and trying to throw that into the box office. If we can’t make that movie unique or add something to it, I don’t think we’re going to make it.”
In which case why not just leave it well alone? However good a job the uys do, and I have a lot of respect for Bay, a remake of The Birds has no chance of topping the original. It is, after all, only going to be a pale imitation that copies rather than innovates.
And the sad thing is that with Martin Campbell (Casino Royale) directing, and Naomi Watts being lined up to star, this movie could be brilliant. But why not make an original film rather than copying something which has gone before and probably can’t be bettered?
