October 2024: David Fincher drops remake of Strangers on a Train; will remake Rope

APRIL 2024

Announced in the trades: David Fincher is going to DIRECT(not just produce) a remake of Hitchocck's Strangers on a Train, to be called only "Strangers."

Funny thing that I know: A remake of "Strangers on a Train" has been in development hell for so long that I swear at one time it was going to be called '"Train." I think "Strangers" is the better way to go, but actually I think "Strangers on a Train" would have been better, still.

Back in the 90s, we got some real, actual Hitchcock remakes: Psycho. A Perfect Murder(from Dial M for Murder, this time with Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow.) Rear Window(on TV with Christopher Reeve.)

But since then, we've had a few PROPOSED remakes still lost IN development hell. Michael Bay's The Birds(with Naomi Watts and George Clooney.) A "To Catch a Thief" remake set in Miami, with Gal Gadot.

And Strangers on a Train.

The Strangers on a Train remake idea goes back to at least 2003, when Denzel Washington and his director pal Antoine Fuqua were set to make it. But Denzel went for a (bad) Manchurian Candidate remake instead.

My question at the time was: is Denzel gonna play the bad guy?(he could -- see: Training Day) or the good guy? We never found out.

Ben Affleck was attached to this Fincher "Strangers." So, same question: is Ben gonna play the good guy or the bad guy?

And I was hoping that if they DID remake Strangers on a Train, it BETTER STILL END with the berserk carousel sequence.

OCTOBER 2024:

David Fincher's people announce that Fincher is DROPPING his Strangers on a Train remake to remake instead...Alfred Hitchcock's Rope.

Ha.

Two points:

ONE: Shall we agree that after 20-plus years in development hell, Strangers on a Train will NEVER be remade?

TWO: Shall we lay bets as to whether or not this Rope remake ACTUALLY gets made? Like the Psycho remake? Or if it gets stuck in development hell along with proposed remakes of The Birds and To Catch a Thief.