Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
I've been hearing some vague noise about Dino De Laurentiis wanting to remake RED DRAGON, the Thomas Harris novel that was adapted to the screen once before by Michael Mann as MANHUNTER. I guess the point is to make a film that is of a piece with THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and next spring's HANNIBAL. I would assume he wants Hopkins to play a younger Lecter in the film. In today's story that confirms the remake and announces Ted Tally (who won the Oscar for SILENCE in 1991) as the screenwriter of the project, Dino explains his motivations a bit more:
"RED DRAGON is about the crime Hannibal Lecter committed and the way he was arrested," Dino De Laurentiis told The Hollywood Reporter. "Hannibal Lecter escaped in SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, and in HANNIBAL, you see him in a new situation in Florence (Italy). The audience would like to know — once and forever — why, where and by whom Hannibal Lecter was arrested. This new version has parts of the book never seen before."
That's interesting. I don't know how they'll top the mood of MANHUNTER or the incredible way William Petersen brought Will Graham to life, but I guess I understand why Dino wants to do this, and they're certainly hiring the right people for the job. If they really do start shooing in July, we could be looking at this for summer of 2002.
"Moriarty" out.
