Jacob’s Ladder is one of those movies that didn’t see a huge amount of success when it was first released in 1990, but over the years its reputation has grown enormously – and there are quite a few people who would class it as their favourite film ever.
LD Entertainment obviously thinks it’s worth revisiting, as they’re moving forward with a remake, and have hired Jeff Buhler (Midnight Meat Train) to write the script, according to THR.
The original film, directed by Adrian Lyne, is about a Vietnam veteran (Tim Robbins) who begins to experience horrifying hallucinations and becomes determined to find out why he is experiencing these visions. Elizabeth Peña, Danny Aiello, and Matt Craven co-starred.
The remake will be set in modern day, crafted as an homage to the original with new characters and situations, while retaining the clever, creepy existential themes.
Mickey Liddell and Jennifer Monroe are producing for LD Entertainment, and are currently seeking a director for the project.
“Jacob’s Ladder” is one of my favorite films. Here’s my review for Amazon:
“After being mortally wounded when a drug experiment on American soldiers in Vietnam goes awry, Tim Robbins becomes “un-stuck” in time (a la Billy Pilgrim in “Slaughterhouse Five”). Since he was wounded under such morally ambiguous circumstances, Heaven and Hell engage in a tug-of-war for his soul. He is beset by demons and other psychological horrors at every turn, yet is guided by his guardian angel of sorts, a chiropractor played by Danny Aiello. This is a very intense, original film that many people overlook when they see it in the horror section at their local video stores.”
I’m not sure why anyone would really want to remake this film, especially since some of the visual touches in the originally are so utterly startling. But I’d still be interested in seeing a remake, provided it’s not dumbed-down for the sake of a PG-13 rating. Perhaps the protagonist ends up getting mortally wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan, rather than Vietnam.