Brighton Rock (2011)

[Bamford]

Work is ongoing on a remake of the British Classic Gangster Movie "Brighton Rock" based on the Graham Greene novel.



Optimum to remake 'Brighton Rock' - Entertainment News, Film Festivals, Media - Variety





Optimum to remake 'Brighton Rock'



Optimum’s CEO Will Clarke has spent several months combing through the French major’s vast library for titles to remake as British movies, working closely with StudioCanal’s senior veep of U.S. production and remake development Ron Halpern.



“Brighton Rock” is being written and will be directed by Rowan Joffe, who co-wrote “28 Weeks Later” and “Last Resort.” Joffe is updating the story from the 1930s to the 1960s, to give it a more modern feel. The project will be steered by Paul Webster (“Atonement”).

[fluddite]

With all due respect to Rowan Joffe (given that I was impressed by Thomas Hurndall) - and, indeed, to Paul Webster - is recasting Brighton Rock in the 60s a good idea? I suspect not - if it does get made, it'll probably end up as a sub-Jake Arnott pastiche.



Then again - given that Quadrophenia - The Musical is upon us - it might make and entertaining sub-Be My Guest song-and-dance caper. Pinkie on a Vespa, perhaps? (Or was that Absolute Beginners?...)

[Mr Sloane]

Oh God.



This is one of my favourite novels and films. The thing that worries me is the updating to the 60's. What else are they going to change.

[thatllbetheday]

Work is ongoing on a remake of the British Classic Gangster Movie "Brighton Rock" based on the Graham Greene novel.



Optimum to remake 'Brighton Rock' - Entertainment News, Film Festivals, Media - Variety





Optimum to remake 'Brighton Rock'



Optimum’s CEO Will Clarke has spent several months combing through the French major’s vast library for titles to remake as British movies, working closely with StudioCanal’s senior veep of U.S. production and remake development Ron Halpern.



“Brighton Rock” is being written and will be directed by Rowan Joffe, who co-wrote “28 Weeks Later” and “Last Resort.” Joffe is updating the story from the 1930s to the 1960s, to give it a more modern feel. The project will be steered by Paul Webster (“Atonement”).

If you update a film based on a novel, it ceases to have any meaningful connection with either. Why not just steal the plot and call it something else. Simply Movies showed a movie called You Can't Run Away From It which was a 60's remake of It Happened One Night. But it kept quiet about it and just as well.

[batman]

To update it to the 60s to give it a more 'modern' feel sounds ludicrous to me. The 60s have as much relevance to today's youngsters as the 30s or 40s, so what is the point. I think fluddite is close to the mark with his reference to Vespas et al ... it's a marketing trick to sell another redundant idea to the multiplex generation.



So it really isn't going to be a remake of the excellent original film, simply a 're-imagining' of the novel. However I expect most of Greene's ideas will be jettisoned in favour of action, a soundtrack tailor made for downloading and a collection of pretty young actors in cool 60s threads.



I can't wait!

[DB7]

Mods and Rockers return to Brighton for Optimum effect



Optimum Releasing is venturing into the realms of production to satisfy its appetite for film distribution, as Ian Burrell reports



The time for another Mod revival is almost upon us. One of Britain's most dynamic film companies is in the process of remaking Brighton Rock, the movie based on Graham Greene's cult 1938 novel, and setting it amid the deckchair-throwing mayhem of a Sixties bank holiday in the Sussex resort.



With Sam Riley in the starring role of petty criminal Pinkie (famously played by Richard Attenborough in the 1947 film), the new movie is being made by star producer Paul Webster (Atonement, Eastern Promises) and young director Rowan Joffe. They start shooting in October.



Brighton Rock has a budget of £6m and Clarke defends the notion of switching the action from the Thirties to the Mods and Rockers era of the early Sixties. "That backdrop is not something that sweeps away all the elements of the story. Rowan Joffe is extremely faithful to the book," he says.

[Brief Encounter]

Work is ongoing on a remake of the British Classic Gangster Movie "Brighton Rock" based on the Graham Greene novel.



Optimum to remake 'Brighton Rock' - Entertainment News, Film Festivals, Media - Variety





Optimum to remake 'Brighton Rock'



Optimum’s CEO Will Clarke has spent several months combing through the French major’s vast library for titles to remake as British movies, working closely with StudioCanal’s senior veep of U.S. production and remake development Ron Halpern.

Let's have a remake of I SEE ICE then!

[paul bisson]

They tried to do this as a Musical around 4 Years ago.Tried it out to a few People and decided it didnt work.It was set in the same period as the original film and it was really good....Nobody had any faith in it....The original is one of my favourite films of all time and i hope that this works

[julian_craster]

They can use 1960s pop music on the soundtrack, rather than 1930s [Henry Hall, Jack Payne etc .....]. Makes commercial sense.......

[Brief Encounter]

I thought the original was set in the post-war period?

[marker]

Let's have a remake of I SEE ICE then!

Oh no no no no why do they have to remake these classics haven't they got any ideas of their own

[will.15]

When is the last time they made a good remake of anything? It seems to me in recent years most remakes have bombed at the box office, yet they still keep making them.

[Spasuit]

Another ABSOLUTELY POINTLESS remake. We do not deserve a film industry.

[GRAEME]

When is the last time they made a good remake of anything? It seems to me in recent years most remakes have bombed at the box office, yet they still keep making them.

The remake of Dawn of the Dead was excellent IMHO.

[CaptainWaggett]

I thought the original was set in the post-war period?

No, it's definitely 1930s - according to the titles (or is it a narration?) there wasn't any crime in Brighton after the war!

[Hugo Fitch]

The only advantage in re-making this fine film would be the opportunity to correct the horrific 'happy' ending, an amendment from the text to satisfy the censors I believe. But I doubt that the central themes of the novel- good/evil, mercy, salvation/ damnation and Catholic belief will bring the audiences of the 21st century flocking in, so presumably it'll be an all -action violent gang movie instead. I fear real interpretations of Graham Greene's novels belong to another age.

[DB7]

Helen Mirren is now onboard.

Mirren to star in Brighton Rock remake | News | Broadcast

[wellpip]

"However I expect most of Greene's ideas will be jettisoned in favour of action, a soundtrack tailor made for downloading and a collection of pretty young actors in cool 60s threads."





Well said Bats...

[davidb]

on other website forums i visit when ive antagonised too many people on here ive seen wanted ads for scooter owners of the correct period to film in brighton sometime in the next couple of weeks for this very film .

they seem to be very strict in the exact period style scooter they want ,anything not mid 60s ish or before will be turned away .

shame that quadrophenia couldnt have been so exacting .



anyway from what ive read it seems to be more about mods and rockers .i thought it was just a coincidence the film was called brighton rock but no ,it is the remake of the 47 original .



[ ive got a 63 modded up lambretta ,maybe i should volunteer my services ? ]

[Wicked Lady]

This makes me very sad. I love the original film.



But given the utter incapability of anyone to do anything original any more I'm not surprised.



Meanwhile, hundreds of young scriptwriters with fresh and exciting ideas in their heads stay unemployed. It's an industry gone to seed.