A couple years ago, Dario Argento’s 1977 horror movie Suspiria set at a European dance school run by a coven of witches with a lot of spare razor wire lying around, was due to undergo the remake process under the direction of Pineapple Express director David Gordon Green. There was a script and shooting start date and rumors of Marilyn Manson taking a supporting role with Natalie Portman starring. And then it never happened. Portman has since moved on to Regency-era zombies, but Green is still on board to direct, according to Total Film (via Bad Taste). Italian producer Marco Morabito confirms the holdup in the remake’s production was simply Dario Argento’s resistance to anyone screwing with his work of genius. The giallo auteur has since released the film rights to Green with Morabito stating that Argento is “convinced that his movie is a masterpiece and can't be overshadowed.” Regardless, Argento has finally granted permission for a remake, be it a hackneyed copy or otherwise. Green’s version is slated to begin filming with the new year. Marilyn Manson will not be involved.
Apparently you have to be one of Argento’s longtime collaborators and friends to get instant approval for remakes of his filmography. It was reported back in May that George Romero would be taking a break from zombies for a change to direct a 3D update of Argento’s Deep Red from a script by Argento’s brother Claudio Argento. The lazy remake litmus test for both films will be whether Green and Romero seek out Goblin to score their films.