Variety’s announced that Mark Pellington will take the help for the Americanized version of The Orphanage, slated for shooting this year. Pellington’s directorial credits include Arlington Road and The Mothman Prophecies. New Line is developing the film, with a script written by Guillermo del Toro and Larry Fessenden. Del Toro acted as creative supervisor on the 2007 original.
While I like both Arlington Road and The Mothman Prophecies, I love The Orphanage. For me, Pellington’s success will ride on if he’s able to create the tension that totally wrecked me on my first time viewing The Orphanage. In a way the story is pretty muted, but I think coming from his background he’ll stay focused on the end goal of tension, and isn’t just going to do a bunch of cheesy loud noise/jump scares.
The Orphanage has been in development for two years and in directorial limbo as of late, with news coming out in November that co-writer Larry Fessenden was no longer attached as director. An interview at Joblo had the Stake Land producer stating, “I got into a casting miasma and that’s where the thing is; I think they’re gonna do it another way, actually. So I think I’m out of it. Hopefully they’ll still use my script, but I’m not sure I’m directing it anymore.”
Not familiar with The Orphanage? Here’s the trailer for the original.
Tags: Mark Pellington, The Orphanage
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