Ellen Page In Talks To Lead ‘Flatliners’ Remake From ‘Dragon Tattoo’ Director
Ellen Pagemay be this generation’s Julia Roberts. TheFreeheldstar could lead a remake of Roberts' 1990 sci-fi thrillerFlatliners, about a group of medical students who experiment with near-death experiences. (Because what could possibly go wrong?)Niels Arden Oplev, of the SwedishThe Girl With the Dragon Tattooadaptation, is directing.
Learn all about the Ellen PageFlatlinersremake after the jump.
Varietyreports Page is currently in talks for theFlatlinersremake. Oplev will direct from a screenplay byBen Ripley(Source Code).David BlackmanandLaurence Markare producing. The project has been in the works for several years already; we first reported on Ripley’s involvementall the way back in 2011.
Directed byJoel Schumacher, the originalFlatlinersstarred Roberts,Kiefer Sutherland,Kevin Bacon,William Baldwin, andOliver Plattas five medical students who want to discover what lies beyond death. They subject themselves to near-death experiences, briefly flatlining and exploring the afterworld before being resuscitated by the others. Predictably, the consequences of their tests quickly spin out of control.
Flatliners earned mixed reviews and a decent chunk of money when it opened in 1990. It’s not exactly what you’d call an unassailable classic, but maybe that’s why it makes sense to remake it. There aren’t manyFlatlinersdiehards who’ll cry foul at the thought of a do-over, and there’s plenty of room for the filmmakers to improve on or even completely reinvent the original.
Page is just coming off the LGBT rights dramaFreeheld, which opened in limited release last weekend. In addition to starring opposite Julianne Moore, Page also produced the picture. Earlier this fall, she hit the Toronto Film Festival to debutInto the Forestwith Evan Rachel Wood. A24 scooped it up for release in the U.S., but hasn’t yet set a release date.
Oplev is a Danish director best known in the U.S. for directingThe Girl With the Dragon Tattooand the crime thrillerDead Man Down. He’s also helmed several television shows including the pilots of CBS’Under the Domeand USA’s surprise summer smashMr. Robot.
