Dreamworks Pictures has entered into negotiations with director Craig Gillespie to helm their proposed remake of the 1985 horror comedy, according to the Los Angeles Times. Gillespie is best known for his work on the quirky 2007 Ryan Gosling indie, Lars and the Real Girl. He also serves as a director and producer on the Showtime original series, The United States of Tara.
This may seem like an odd choice seeing as Gillespie has never tried his hand at horror, but it’s key to recall the spirit of the original film. Written and directed by Tom Holland in 1985, the film centers around a teenager who discovers that his neighbors are vampires. Although it was definitively a film about vampires, it opted for a lighter, more comical tone than certain gory horror franchises — think The Lost Boys with better make-up and effects. The film relied more on the playful chemistry between the young leads, making it into a coming-of-age story that happened to include bloodsuckers.
Under this consideration, Gillespie could be an ideal candidate to revive that sense of development — in Lars and the Real Girl he plainly depicted the conventionally odd relationship between a young man and a blow-up doll he finds on the internet. For this project, the characters won’t be so clearly delusional, but if he can bring the same sense of heart and earnestness to them, we’ll be in for a treat.
DreamWorks previously hired Marti Noxon to write and produce the film. Genre fans may remember Noxon from her increasingly prominent role in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series. Noxon has been involved with a number of genre television projects in the wake of Buffy, such as the short-lived Point Pleasant, and AMC’s breakthrough series, Mad Men.
No deal has officially been signed by Gillespie, but we’ll follow the story and update you if and when it becomes official.
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