After mining the '80s for all they were worth, Hollywood has moved on to remaking movies from the '90s - and that apparently means that we'll soon be seeing a reinvented version of The Craft.
The Hollywood Reporter was the first to break this news, saying that the project is set up over at Sony and already very much in the works. They have handed the reins of the project over to filmmaker Leigh Janiak, who is going to co-write the script with writing partner Phil Graziadei. Both Janiak and Graziadei first got attention in the industry thanks to their 2014 feature Honeymoon - a horror film starring Game of Thrones' Rose Leslie. Doug Wick, who was one of the producers on the original film, will be back to shepherd the remake, and he will be joined by Lucy Fisher, was was vice chairman of the studio back when The Craft was released in 1996.
For those not familiar with the original film, The Craft starred Robin Tunney as Sarah Bailey, a teen who has just joined a Catholic prep school. She becomes friends with a trio of outcasts - played by Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell, Rachel True - and discovers that they are into witchcraft. But when they become too powerful and start taking magical and aggressive action against all those who wronged them, they begin to discover that it all has a price. Andrew Fleming directed the film, and went on to make movies like The In-Laws, Nancy Drew, and Hamlet 2.
The Craft is an interesting candidate for a remake, if not only because the original film wasn't exactly a traditional hit. During its theatrical run, it only managed to make $24 million, which was surely a positive number when weighed against its budget, but also certainly not a blockbuster success. Instead, the remake is likely banking on the fact that the film has a cult following, and the studio is probably hoping that that following can translate to a few dollars at the box office.
While many will surely get up in arms about this and complain about the lack of originality in Hollywood today, The Craft honestly isn't one of the worst films to remake. In the hands of an interesting filmmaker - both from a storytelling and visual perspective - there is a lot about the subject matter in the original that could pop in a re-do. Plus, it's a fairly good excuse to put together four of the industries most talented young actresses, and it's great to see more female filmmakers at work.
It sounds as though things are still in the early stages with this project, but if Sony likes what they see from Leigh Janiak and Phil Graziadei, they could wind up feeling the need to fast track it. We'll keep you updated.
