As he's now far too busy working on Green Lantern, it appears Martin Campbell has decided to drop out of developing Platinum Dunes' planned remake of The Birds.
Well, either that or the ghost of Alfred Hitchcock cameoed in one of his dreams to convince him that it was a bad idea. Still, Hitch has yet to make an appearance in the unconscious of Dennis Iliades, who, according to the Pajiba blog, is looking to take over the director's chair.
Iliades isn't exactly new to the horror remake genre - just this year, he graced us all with a new version of Last House On The Left. So it appears he's producer Michael Bay's top choice to handle the feathered fiends.
This fresh outing for the avian evil hasn't exactly enjoyed an easy flight to the screen - it's been through several writers, including Scott Derickson (The Exorcism Of Emily Rose) and Billy Ray (State Of Play), and Iliades' arrival apparently signals another change, since he's planning to ramp up the horror from the now usual PG-13 rating to a harder, bloodier R.
No one seems to know if reported leading lady Naomi Watts is still attached, but with Campbell now busy, chances are Iliades will have to provide a killer pitch to keep her on board...