There’s a loud electronic bell going off in Empire Towers right now, and that can only mean one thing – someone is trying to remake a ‘90s thriller! In this case, it’s Joel Schumacher’s Flatliners.
Despite a hefty cast of young (at the time) stars including Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon, William Baldwin and Oliver Platt, the film wasn’t exactly memorable for either its quality plot or big box office success.
The story, for those who have never ventured beyond the limits of existence and decent scriptwriting to seek out the movie, follows a group of medical students who decide to explore the realm of near-death experiences. To do this, they have their hearts stopped for a period of time before being revived. But because this is a case of Man’s Scientific Folly, they naturally begin to experience nightmare waking visions from their past, with old sins coming back to haunt them. Soon, they must delve deeper into their experiences to try to find a cure…
This time around, Sony has hired Source Code writer Ben Ripley, no stranger to high concept science stories himself, to bash out a new take on the idea.
As of right now, there’s no word on who might step up to direct as it’s still at an embryonic stage. Schumacher likely won’t be involved with the remake, or at least isn’t mentioned in connection with it just yet, though the original production company, Further Films, is attached.