Platinum rides 'Hitcher' redo
Looking to scare up another horror remake hit, Platinum Dunes has made a deal with Focus Features to redo 1986 pic "The Hitcher." The film will be released through Focus' genre label, Rogue Pictures.
Posted 4/17/05 10:00pm

http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlf...cher%20changes

BAY'S CONTROVERSIAL HITCHER CHANGES

Movie mogul MICHAEL BAY's latest horror film remake has sparked controversy - because he's considering turning the hero in 1986 cult classic THE HITCHER into a heroine.

Producer Bay's reworkings of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE and THE AMITYVILLE HORROR have proved so popular, his production company PLATINUM DUNES decided to rival their success by purchasing the rights to The Hitcher, which tells the story of JIM HALSEY who is framed for his murderous hitchhiker's killings.

But Bay has upset fans of the original film, by considering replacing Halsey's character with a woman in the new version.

Bay says, "I may add some twists and turns to the plot. I'm also thinking about making Halsey's character a woman."

18/04/2005 17:27

Okay, TCM 03 was a damn fine slasher picture, I haven't seen Amityville, but I hear it's better than the original (Not saying much), but for the love of all that is good, stop with the god damned remakes! Especially for this flick, which doesn't need it.

But maybe this is good, since we'll probably get a new DVD of the original.

I'm thinking they won't have the famous french fry scene, but will try to top it with someone even more gross. Maybe Jim Halsey will eat at Wendy's?

There is one good thing that will come of this. This forbodes a decent DVD re-release of the original to coincide with the remake.

This is getting ridiculous.

hitcher was a cult classic in every sense and only made in 86. i love this movie and have most incarnations of it on dvd, including the sequel- just because and in fact about to watch the R2 right now. but if he is going to add all this new stuff and change the lead just make the movie and call it something else!! have it nothing to do with the first and maybe you will get more respect and have people actually see it and not think it was some tepid remake!

Well, I wonder how bad Michael Bay and his Merry Band of Filmfuckeruppers will destroy this one?

They took way too many liberties with TCM (For instance...Leatherface's name is Bubba Sawyer...Mr. Bay. Not Thomas Hewitt!!!) and Amityville Horror (For instance...Jodie was a freakin' PIG....Mr. Bay. Not a flipping little vein faced ghost girl!!!). Believe me, I could list many more stupid changes these hacksters did with these classic films, but my blood pressure would only rise.

I can only hold on to my Talking Freddy Kruger doll and cry myself to sleep at the idea of yet another classic horror film being remade by these modern filmmaking hippsters.

I think Bay's crew has done a nice job of pumping some life and energy into the remakes they've done so far.

Eh.........I guess I'd go see it.

Agreed, I just don't remember the Hitcher being that great but then again the original Amityville wasn't a classic either.

Just make something new for God sakes.

No shit!!!!

Hopefully there will be a rerelease of the first DVD.

A-fuckin'-men! Or at the very least call 'em something different...however, if they get Paris Hilton to play Halsey it might not be so bad...

I'd much rather watch Bay-produced horror remakes than anything he himself directs. I thought TCM & Amityville we're fun popcorn flicks. IMO, they were better than the countless Jeepers Creepers, Darkness Falls, etc. crap thats come out in the last few years.

Automator, I couldn't have said it better myself. Both films were reasonably well done, fun, rated 'R' horror flicks for us adults. Just the way we like 'em.

I hope the trend continues. The Hitcher is an excellent idea. I only hope they give Rutger a cameo.

Right on! I'd rather see well produced remakes of older horror movies than most of the other crap around lately. It's not as if the remake is taking anything away from the original, or, with the sheer volume of movies coming out, taking the place of an "original" movie. Darkness Falls was "original" - but it was shit - I much prefered the Texas Chainsaw remake...

I dunno, I like my fun, rated 'R' horror with gratuitous T&A, something along the lines of Slumber Party Massacre.

The only way to make them.

I wonder who the villain would be? Maybe Martin Lawrence freaking out and going 'wazooo, wazooo' all the time and mumbling and stuttering throughout the movie.

Seriously though, the original had a creepy vibe to it which I don't think they'd be able to recreate without a really good villain and a prettyboy innocent lead. I'm thinking Christopher Walken as the villain and Leigh Whannell from Saw as the main. Whannell did a pretty good job of acting totally 'shit your pants' freaked out in that movie.
Although I don't know anyone who's give a lift to someone who looked like Walken.

Rutger Hauer's performance in the original Hitcher will be hard to top IMHO!

But I will be interested to see who they cast for this remake!

Take care all!!

Queen Latifah! It's gonna be badass yeah!

Ok, not really. I'm shooting for "I hope it sucks so bad that it's funny".

But I don't want to see remakes OR shitty new movies. It isn't like there can only be one or the other.

I understand there's always going to be remakes, even in the olden days there were (Maltese Falcon springs to mind).

The thing that pisses me off is the fact these idiots remake good movies. Why in God's name do you think you could improve on Texas Chainsaw Massacre - seriously? Was there something wrong with that movie? In my opinion, no, but it seems Hollywood would rather just recycle name recognition for a sure box-office draw than to take a chance on something original. At least just make a new sequel, come up with a relatively new story based on the original. Now we'll have the original Amityville Horror, it's sequels, a remake of the original, and probably a sequel to that. In another 20 years are they going to start the cycle over?

And yes, I would rather go see an original, R-rated horror movie than a remake any day. Jeepers Creepers wasn't that good, but I was willing to spend my money at the theater to figure out if was good or not - I decline to see remakes of TCM, Amityville, House of Wax, etc. because I've already seen those movies.

Eh, that's just my 2 cents+.

Phantasm... The Hitcher, if my calculations are correct we can expect the remake of "The Ring" in 2 years, 20 days, and 4 hours!

You should see the people pissing and moaning about the new Bewitched just because it's not a straight remake.