comment #1

lazespud says ...

Let's hope Cage's schlong doesn't make an appearance. Still having nightmares about Keitel's from the first one.

comment #2

Mr. Buckles says ...

Dud, wtf? This art house cult hit doesn't need another master.

I'd much rather see Howard Stern's Porky's.

comment #3

Rich S. says ...

de Laurentiis also produced Michael Mann's Manhunter, Cronenberg's The Dead Zone, Pacino's Serpico and Law's Danger Diabolik! So he's not all bad.

comment #4

MickTravis says ...

Sure Herzog bodes well. And Cage will bring his Cage-iness to it.

But, seriously, why?

The original is such a weird, wild, strange fucking thing that it shouldn't spawn a remake. What's next? "A Clockwork Orange" ? "Repo Man" ? "Putney Swope" ?

I'm just sick of having to qualify the movies I like, as in: "I like 'The Vanishing,' but I mean the Dutch version, not the Jeff Bridges fiasco."

Couldn't they just tell a similar story and call it something else?

comment #5

JD says ...

Did you just call it "Law's Danger Diabolik"? Try Bava's Danger Diabolik (no offense to John Phillip Law, but he's no auteur). As for William Castle, it's a real stretch to compare him to a heartless, tasteless producer. His films had style and wit to burn and anyone familiar with both Polanski and Castle -- including Polanski himself -- can see the influence of Castle (in a good way) on the great Rosemary's Baby.

comment #6

Rich S. says ...

Sorry, that Law comment was a bit of a non-sequitur, wasn't it? I of course meant no disrespect to Bava. I was shooting for a rather whimsical punctuation to the sequence. I see I succeeded marvelously.

comment #7

Rich S. says ...

Oh, and Castle's Homicidal is a seriously fun, whacked-out piece of work.

comment #8

actionman says ...

Very, very, very mixed feelings on this. I LOVE Herzog; the man is a genius. The original Lieutenant is Ferrara's masterpiece, and it's just crazy to think that it's being remade. I love Cage when the material is right, and on paper, this sounds like a role he could really nail. I am still stunned that Herzog is even contemplating a remake. The Avi Lerner connection is indeed troubling, but maybe this film will be the exception to his rather shitty resume.

comment #9

berkguru says ...

complete joke to remake this

the original is a classic and is still very captivating

pointless

although Cage is a good choice and does give a very underated performance in 8MM

what's next - a remake of Goodfellas

comment #10

bagelfilm says ...

Ferrara is a filmmaker who faces his religious ghosts; Herzog on the other hand does not believe hence "Bad Lieutenant" done by him is without soul.

comment #11

berg says ...

my claim to fame other than my natural good looks is that I saw this film on its opening weekend in NYC ... friday, midnight, playing exclusively at some gotham twoplex, next to (also exclusive) Aladdin. The theater had a marquee display with some bondage type imagery, hand cuffs and the poster (?) ... I have only seen BL theatrically but evidently the Schooly D song that plays all throughout the film is not on the dvd version because the rights to the sample from LZs Kashmir were not cleared ... I can't imagine that film without that song ... Cage is at his best when he is over the top, I hope he wears a bear suit for the masturbation scene

comment #12

lazespud says ...

To Bagelfilm:

It sounds like you're trying to be profound in some way; sorry though, your statement is ridiculous. His version may suck, it may even be "without soul" whatever that means, but it would because of about 1000 different reasons before him "not believing".

When I think of the White Diamond, Little Dieter Needs to Fly, Invincible, Kasper Hauser and other great works by the guy, a profoundly deep "soul" is definately among the descriptors I would use.

comment #13

CinemaPhreek says ...

Oh, yeah, exactly what we need - another over-the-top, wild-eyed, chewing-the-scenery-down-to-a-nub Nic Cage performance. Keitel grounded that role and gave the film the impact of a two by four between the eyes of the audience. The character's excesses were all he needed, not wild histrionics.

Just picture Cage from FACE/OFF and you can see where he will take the character: straight into cartoonland.

comment #14

corey3rd says ...

Herzog needs to do a documentary about all the crap that went down while they were making Bad Lt. I had a long talk with someone who worked on the set. They were really doing drugs during the takes. The only thing faked was the crack. Zoe really did shoot up heroin. Harvey was in the middle of an emotional meltdown since right before shooting Lorraine Bracco had run off with Edward James Olmos. One of the girls in the stationwagon scene is Harvey's babysitter. Abel would wander off during rehearsals and the AD and DP would shoot the scene. Abel would wander back, look at the playback and approve. The fact that this film got completed is a complete miracle.

Herzog shouldn't remake another man's madness.

For scenery Nick Cage to think he can do better is BS. How many people give a crap about his Wickerman flick?

comment #15

frankbooth says ...

Next up: Scorsese remakes Eraserhead.

Yes, it's offensive to say Herzog's films have no soul, but I see what Bagelfilm is getting at. Ferrara's Catholicism informed the film to such a degree that it almost impossible to imagine it without it. Herzog's take will probably be more of an existential "human beast" kind of thing. Who knows? Maybe it will be interesting in its own right.

I love Herzog's Seventies films deeply, and can watch Aguirre, Kaspar Hauser, Woyzek, Stroszek and Nosferatu over and over. Every time I get in a new relationship, I make my current girlfriend watch them, and it's a good litmus test for compatibility.

But yeah, this is very weird. His best recent films have been docs. His last film was based on a doc he'd already made. Now he's looking to an inferior artist (Ferrara has made some good films, but his body of work is hardly comparable) for inspiration.

What was that line about Lou Reed in Trainspotting?
(Flame away, you bastards, I'm ready for ya!)

comment #16

115thDreamer says ...

Wow....love Herzog, love Cage....but yes, this seems like a shaky idea. There's just no need to remake films that have that one-of-a-kind, all-the-stars-aligned type of feel to them. The original is some sort of corrosive masterpiece that really shouldn't be touched, I feel. Forgot about possibly seeing Cage's member - what do you do about the scene where he pulls over the two teenage girls? Sure Cage is dark and edgy and all, but a guy who still does the 'movie star' thing from time to time is really going to recreate that scene and then do "National Treasure 3" right after? I"m not seeing it. Again - Herzog = awesome, Cage = awesome, but...let's leave our cult classics alone.

comment #17

BurmaShave says ...

I can see where all the concerns are coming from, but hopefully in this we will get a more BRINGING OUT THE DEAD style Cage.

comment #18

actionman says ...

His performance in Bringing Out the Dead is the most underrated of his career and completely mesmerizing, just like the film. Awesome, powerful stuff.

comment #19

AH says ...

Has the credit crunch gotten so bad that even low-budget indie films are being remade? I can understand going for brand recognition when a company is spending $50 million plus on a movie. However, following the same policy for a, $10 million, if that, movie is a sure sign of the apocalypse.

comment #20

Hickenlooper says ...

It may be fashionable in some circles to poo-poo Avi Lerner, but the reality is he allows his filmmakers' creative freedom. I did a picture for him ten years ago, 'The Big Brass Ring' (an adaptation of the Orson Welles screenplay) and my experience with him creatively was sensational. Yes, Avi makes a lot of B-style movies, but those pictures have given him the financial security to be one of the few remaining sources of capital in the independent fllm world. While all the others are imploding, Avi is able to do what he wants, like financing the Herzog picture. In Orson Welles' lifetime no one would touch 'The Big Brass Ring' yet in the end Avi would because both he and Boaz Davidson are at heart true film lovers. They are also smart businessmen but they appreciate talent and they always put their money where their mouth is. They are an unpretentious group and I would be happy to work with them anytime, anywhere.

comment #21

George Prager says ...

RESERVOIR DOGS and BAD LIEUTENANT came out the same week, I think. Richard Price famously said something like "I think Tarantino is just kidding, but Abel Ferrara is a sick puppy."

comment #22

Bocephus says ...

You guys are talking about this like it's going to be a typical pointless Hollywood remake, and about Herzog like he's some kind of typical hack director. He wouldn't pick the material if he didn't have some excellent ideas for it.

People were just as skeptical when we learned he was making Rescue Dawn. And it turned out to be terrific. Not his best film but still an important addition to his dazzling catalog.

And to refer to any of his work as being "without soul" is outright blasphemy. I've learned more about the human soul from Herzog than I have from any other filmmaker. Actually, I believe that would be a 4-way tie between Herzog, Bergman, Bresson, and Errol Morris.

"Oh, yeah, exactly what we need - another over-the-top, wild-eyed, chewing-the-scenery-down-to-a-nub Nic Cage performance. "

I agree wholeheartedly. Ghost Rider and Wicker Man might have been huge turds, but thanks to Cage at least they were both barrels of laughs.

comment #23

Rich S. says ...

Just think if Klaus Kinski was still alive and was starring in this instead of Cage (okay, he'd be 82, but still). The mind reels.

comment #24

York "Budd" Durden says ...

>I've learned more about the human soul from . . . Herzog, Bergman, Bresson, and Errol Morris.

Spot on.

comment #25

televisiontears says ...

corey3rd -
The Wicker Man remake is one of the best films to watch with a slight buzz and a few good friends. Every single frame is packed with accidental hilarity, and many of us still quote it heavily ("Killing me won't bring back your goddamn honey!" "How'd it get burned?!"). Don't get me started on the last act jammed with The Cage beating on as many women as he can.

Some choice moments:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=e6i2WRreARo
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Mbb5lxGFmXI&feature=related

Give it a couple years and it'll be a dorm room stoner classic. Good times.

comment #26

thorsen1nk says ...

Not only is this a classic, it's only 16 years old. I mean seriously, shouldn't there be at least a 20 year grace period between remakes?

And it's not like the original Bad Lieutenant is even dated. It could easily be set in modern times--only real giveaway is the make of the cars they drive.

As for Cage. Sorry, Keitel NAILED that shit--performance of a lifetime. I can't imagine anyone else. Seriously, can you imagine them remaking Taxi Driver with Nic Cage as Travis Bickle? To me, this is almost the same thing.

PS: Jeff, Edwards just officially endorsed Obama.

comment #27

Bob Violence says ...

This will be the most amazing trainwreck in ages. I can't wait.

comment #28

p.Vice says ...

The only way this ridiculous remake idea would be validated AT ALL were if Klaus Kinski still alive to take over from Keitel. THAT I might watch.

This, not so much.

comment #29

The Hoyk says ...

The sad part about the loss of Schooly D's "Signifying Rapper" from the DVD and cable TV airings of BAD LIEUTENANT is that he didn't even sample the actual recording of Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir." If you listen to the song, it is a recreation of just the first four bars, essentially nothing more than a guitar riff. Zeppelin's management threatened to sue Schooly and his record company, but they probably would have had a good defense in that one cannot copyright a riff - otherwise, the guy who wrote "Hambone" would be a zillionaire and Bo Diddley wouldn't live in a trailer park. However, the record label was small and poor in comparison to Zeppelin's war chest, and the producers probably didn't want to spend the money fighting them, so the song was removed.

Naturally, we as fans felt a huge insult to injury when the "Kashmir" riff showed up, with permission, in Diddy's excreble "Be With Me" in GODZILLA.

comment #30

Strolzy says ...

They should also redo "A Thousand Clowns" with CG renderings of Jack Lemmon and the protagonist from "Rushmore." Nah. A film with western-era Eastwood locked in deadly battle with Reservoir Dogs-era Michael Madsen/Mr. Goddamn Blonde/Vic Fucking Vega on the other hand would blow minds. Actually both films would. Greenlight these. Get paid doing what you were meant to. Stir minds. Evolve something, evolve more. For fuck sakes, I watched Kalatozov's "I Am Cuba" today and witnessed some of the most stunning camera work probably ever experienced AND THIS FILM WAS MADE IN 1964! Where the modern-day cinematic blood lines to THIS film? Where are the modern Jodorowsky's? The Mizoguchi's? And where the hell are the Ealing Studios of today?! Is YouTube gonna get us there?

comment #31

D.Z. says ...

Youtube took down a hilarious Wicker Man spoof which looked like an ad from Enter the Dragon.

comment #32

bb says ...

Bad Lieutenant was a good film but I was never compelled to watch it again. I remember it as a distinctly unpleasant experience.

But then whenever I see any of Cage's recent films, it is usually unpleasant as well so maybe this will all work out!

comment #33

berkguru says ...

I wonder what sporting event Cage will shoot up his car radio over. Gotta love the Daryl Strawberry meltdowns. Maybe the Yankees choke against the Red Sox from a couple of years ago.

comment #34

Rich S. says ...

Speaking of Diabolik, the Orlando Sentinel is reporting that John Phillip Law has passed away.

comment #35

corey3rd says ...

at the end they can have A-Rod race up and attempt to slap the gun out of the killer's hand before he unloads on Nic