First on everyone’s mind is undoubtedly the Hellraiser remake he’s prepping for Dimension Films. “I’m now working on it with a co-writer I cannot name,” Pascal said. “We do not want to remake the original movie, as that would be a pointless exercise, and I wouldn’t feel comfortable messing with what is essentially a solid horror/fantasy. So we’re trying to respect Clive Barker’s original material while bringing totally fresh angles to it … It’s taking a while to come together, because all involved want to get it absolutely right.”
He also spilled some details about Details, a project with Paramount Vantage based on a novella by the famous, hip London-based writer China Mieville. “The story, inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s writings, is about a boy looking after a weird old woman who discovers strange forces hidden in the creased fabric of our world. Mieville is a smart guy and a very dark horror writer … It’s more a piece of abstract literature you feel in your gut, and straightening it out into a more literal screenplay is hard.”
Lastly, he touched upon Dogs, described as “Cujo times 40. The main character of a war veteran under attack by a pack of dogs is very cool, and it’s brilliantly written. I loved the script and found it a thrilling page-turner. Right now I’m waiting for the finances to come together and am hoping for good news in the next week or so.”
For even more from Laugier, including a few comments about the inevitable American Martyrs remake, click here for the full Fango interview.