Last we checked, David Gordon Green’s purported remake of Suspiria was as doomed as a ballet student flailing around in a pit of barbed wire. But, according to HitFix, fans of Dario Argento’s 1977 horror masterpiece shouldn’t slip on their black leather killing gloves just yet: The project lives, and is reportedly moving forward with a new director, Luca Guadagnino, director of 2009’s I Am Love and the upcoming A Bigger Splash.
Guadagnino, who was originally attached to the project as a producer, talked about the remake at the Venice Film Festival, indicating that he and Green had parted ways due to conflicting visions for the film. Now Guadagnino—an actual Italian!—is in charge, telling Variety, “I’m going to direct a remake of Dario Argento’s Suspiria. I’m going to shoot the movie this winter.” Guadagnino’s version of Suspiria takes place in Berlin in 1977, and while plot details are still scarce, he says, “it’s going to be about the mother and the concept of motherhood and about the uncompromising force of motherhood. It’s going to be about finding your inner voice. The title is very evocative on these grounds.”
Guadagnino’s plan for the film also involves reuniting with the cast of A Bigger Splash, namely leads Dakota Johnson, Matthias Schoenaerts, Ralph Fiennes, and Tilda Swinton, with whom Guadagnino says he had one of the best on-set experiences of his career. Johnson’s wide-eyed brunette look does recall Jessica Harper in the original, and Tilda Swinton already has experience playing a witch. Bring Goblin back to do the score, and we’ll change the status of this one from “unholy abomination” to “could be okay.”