Late last year, a remake of the 1990 thriller Flatliners was announced, and it didn’t exactly set off an earthquake of excitement. Flatliners is a solid cult classic, most notable for its excellent cast – Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon – but few were crying out for a remake.
Well, the makers of the new Flatliners are trying to nab a little extra nostalgia, as star of the original movie, Kiefer Sutherland, has signed on for the remake. Apparently, Sutherland will not be playing his character from the first movie, but rather a “seasoned doctor,” who will likely insist the movie’s new cast stop all that flatlining while shooting the camera knowing looks.
For those behind on their early-’90s sorta classics, Flatliners was about a group of medical students who intentionally trigger near-death experiences so they can explore the afterlife. Of course, things become increasingly dangerous, and perhaps even a little paranormal, as they delve deeper into their experiments. The remake’s cast also includes Ellen Page, Diego Luna (Elysium, Rogue One), Nina Dobrev (The Vampire Diaries), James Norton (Belle, Mr. Turner), and Kiersey Clemens (Dope). The movie will be helmed by Niels Arden, director of the original Swedish Girl With the Dragon Tattoo movies and several episodes of Mr. Robot.
This remake doesn’t quite have the same stellar cast as the first Flatliners, but who knows, maybe they can grab some more names from the original line-up. Kevin Bacon and Julia Roberts aren’t as busy as they used to be – they could probably show up in a quick vision.
Flatliners enters production next week, for a probable 2017 release date.
(Via Deadline)