Luca Guadagnino Discusses Suspiria Remake
Bigger Splash director on his Argento appropriation

Last we heard, back in 2012, David Gordon Green (Prince Avalanche, Joe) was attached to direct the controversial remake of Dario Argento's Suspiria. Just this week, however, the news has arrived that Green's iteration of the project is definitively off the table, with Luca Guadagnino now in the frame to deliver his own take. At Venice with his crime drama A Bigger Splash, Guadagnino shared some of his thoughts.

"The film by Dario Argento was a very indicative moment of growing up for me because I saw it when I was 14," the director tells Empire. "I think it changed me forever. I was obsessed [with Argento] through all my adolescence. [My version] is going to be set in Berlin in 1977. It’s going to be about the mother and the concept of motherhood and about the uncompromising force of motherhood. It’s going to be about finding your inner voice – the title is very evocative on these grounds."

Argento's 1977 original involves Jessica Harper's Suzy, who arrives in Freiburg to attend a renowned ballet academy, only to discover that it's a front for a powerful coven of witches. It marked the beginning of the director's Three Mothers trilogy, followed by Inferno (1980) and The Mother Of Tears (2007).

Guadagnino's version, he says, will be "very different. The movie by Dario Argento was maybe a child of its own times. It's very delicate; almost childish. I have a very strong interest in German literature and film, so I think [my] Suspiria will have to focus very strongly on that moment in history, in 1977, when Germany was divided and a new generation was claiming and asking to recognise the debt of guilt that forged the new Germany after the war against the fathers who wanted to deny the responsibility."

Locations and casting have yet to be worked out, but the director does clarify that the previously announced Isabelle Huppert and Isabelle Fuhrman are no longer linked to the project. "That was for a version by David Gordon Green," he says. "That’s not the case for me. I can’t say anything about the casting right now. I will announce very soon."

Guadagnino's A Bigger Splash, starring Dakota Johnson, Matthias Schoenaerts, Ralph Fiennes and a silent Tilda Swinton, plays at the BFI London Film Festival on October 9, and is out in the rest of the UK on February 12 next year.



http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=45330

Iggy Pop has given us un update on The Sandman:

Speaking of Cinema what about The Sandman of Dario Argento?
"That movie is really pissing me off: there has been a fundraiser on the Indiegogo platform yet we cannot start. Sometimes they tell me that Dario has slowed down due to health reasons, others that everything is ready and we're going to shoot in Belgium. Too bad. it is a wonderful project as is the short story by ETA Hoffmann that inspired the film. I would be the villain that tears off the eyes of kids in their sleep and gives them to feed his children. But first, excuse me, me and my new record are going to make a real big mess around the world."

Sorry for eventual mistranslations.

Been a fan since I saw Suspiria in college. Loved the whole three mothers trilogy plus several of Argento's other films.

What Happened to Dario Argento’s ‘The Sandman’?

Dario Argento has been in the game a long time. From his directorial début in 1970, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (now out on a beautiful disc from Arrow US), to his most recent film, 2012’s Dracula 3D, Argento has managed to build an astounding resume. Certainly his later efforts have not been on par with his earlier output (though, I think there are more bright spots than most), but fans still hold out hope his next time in the director’s chair will recapture the magic of his Giallo glory days. Enter, The Sandman.

The Sandman was announced in June of 2014 as part of the Off-Frontières co-production market. Little was known right off the bat except that Argento signed on to direct a script written by David Tully (Djinn). These early details were quickly followed with news of rock legend Iggy Pop taking on the titular villain role. Before long we were given solid info as to what the heck the film would be about, and undoubtedly, it sounded like the perfect match for Argento’s phantasmagoric sensibilities.

Inspired by the original Sandman of German folklore that plucked out the eyes of children who wouldn’t sleep, The Sandman website describes the tale as follows:

“THE SANDMAN tells the story of a young student in the city who struggles to forget their childhood trauma at the hands of the serial killer dubbed ‘The Sandman’. As a child the student killed The Sandman years ago, on Christmas Eve, after witnessing the murder of their mother. This memory is repressed until they see the beautiful woman who lives in the apartment across the way dying at the hands of that same masked killer. We follow our protagonist to find out who is the real killer. This is a story of voyeurism and obsession and is a direct homage to Giallo films of the past.”

Needless to say, diehard fans of Argento and Iggy Pop were more than intrigued. In October of 2014, they were given the opportunity to get involved with the project. An Indiegogo page launched to help fund The Maestro’s film; the campaign sought a total of $165k to help “partially” bankroll the production. Tax credits, due to the Canadian/German co-production status, were said to bolster a large chunk of the film’s remaining budget. The launch page stated, “While those monies are secured, it is not enough to make the film. We are dedicated to bringing a quintessential masterwork to the faithful fans of Dario and Iggy. It’s the first time for us to approach you and ask for your support before making the film… because we want to do it right and deliver!”

The perks offered to help drum up that sweet cash ranged from copies of the film, signed posters, and even the chance to don the infamous black gloves of the killer on-screen. That particular perk was “one and done”. It went for $5k! Another exciting addition to the crew of The Sandman was Claudio Simonetti, one of the masterminds behind many of Italy’s finest scores. He would be composing for the film along with Akira Yamaoka (Silent Hill series) contributing the theme for the soundtrack.

Everything sounded great. For the first time in a long time, a script written specifically for Argento was handed to him with the promise of full artistic freedom. The crowdfunding campaign was a huge success, exceeding with 119% to goal. With $195,633 raised by 1082 backers, The Sandman was coming. Hopes were that it’d be released in time for Christmas the following year. It has now been three years since the initial announcement. Sadly, The Sandman has yet to go into production.

So, what exactly happened? Personally, I was over the moon with excitement when the word first broke (I didn’t back the project as I was one broke mo-fo in 2014). I’ve stated this before, but to reiterate, Argento is a part of the Holy Trinity of directors that helped shape my genre tastes. Romero and Craven complete that particular trifecta. I was hungry for more info on this movie. Realizing there hadn’t been any substantial news regarding The Sandman in some time, I started to do some digging.

It’s important to note that filmmaking is often a long, arduous journey. Projects can stop and start at the drop of a dime. Unfortunately, a lot of fans who put up their cash during the campaign have yet to receive their promised perks. Obviously, items such as copies of the film will have to wait, but what about signed posters? A quick peek at the comments on the Indiegogo page show a lot of anger from backers. People are requesting refunds and even labeling the campaign a “fraud.” Some commenters are more understanding but remain upset over the “Updates” which have come with less consistency as time has gone on. All hope is not lost, however. Argento has actually spoken on the matter. In August of last year, IndieWire interviewed Argento. In regards to The Sandman, he had this to say:

“Iggy Pop keeps asking, ‘How long do we have to wait on this film?’ Honestly, it’s not my fault. This film is a co-production by many different producers in different countries. They apparently can’t agree on a number of things, including where to shoot, locations, things like that. It goes on and on. I know it’s been dragging on. Time goes by and they haven’t reached an agreement. I must say that I myself have been thinking about some other projects in the meantime. I still need to work on them, think about them.”

While The Maestro’s patience might be wearing thin, he recently hinted at two possible projects in his near future. As quoted by Dark Universe, he stated, “Let’s see what will start first.” There was no confirmation that one of these could be The Sandman, but the producers have recently become more vocal about the production’s progress. Just last month, a post on the film’s Facebook page revealed that locations are locked (Ontario) and financing is still being secured. And those perks? On July 5th, a reminder to backers went out to make sure all mailing info was up to date. The signed posters were close to being shipped!

It’s certainly been a long journey for Dario Argento’s possible return to the sub-genre that made him a horror-household name. Here’s hoping the wait is worth it for fans and backers of the project.

Note: I attempted to reach out to “Team Sandman”. They did not respond to request for comment.



http://bloody-disgusting.com/editori...entos-sandman/

Love this