UPDATED: Now That 'Point Break' Has A Director, Where's The Remake Of Kathryn Bigelow's 'Near Dark'?

While the blogosphere debates the merits and drawbacks of Alcon hiring Ericson Core (Invincible) to direct its remake of Point Break,  it's time to  start asking if  Kathryn Bigelow's 1987  neo-noir vampire thriller Near Dark  will ever be remade. 

UPDATED/ 7:45 P.M. EST:   A Relativity Media spokeswoman responds, “We do not have the rights to this title.”  Stay tuned.

Let me say up front that Near Dark doesn't need to be remade. It's a bloody, balls out thrill ride that pre-figures the endorphin rush of Point Break features a memorable cast that includes the seriously underrated Lance Henriksen and Bill Paxton. Henriksen is utterly chilling and Paxton gives an unhinged performance as Severen, the craziest member of a pack of redneck vampires on the loose in the West. (Love their shades and the camper van with the blacked-out windows.)

Is Near Dark Too Much Like Twilight? 

Back in 2006, Michael Bay's Platinum Dune production company was talking about remaking the picture, but in 2008, Bay's partner, producer Brad Fuller told Empire magazine that the project was on hold because "I’m concerned that, conceptually...Near Dark and Twilight are too similar".  I had to read that statement twice because, while there is a romance between one of the vampire clan (Jenny Wright) and a murder-averse human (Adrian Pasdar),  the ferociously over-the-top Near Dark bears precious little resemblance to the PG-13 Twilight franchise.  (If anything, Bigelow's film is a kindred spirit of HBO's True Blood vamp series.)  If Bay & Co. were making a Twilight connection, it's probably best they shelved the project.

As of the end of 2012, the Internet Movie Database indicated that Relativity Media subsidiary Rogue was developing the picture, but getting the company to confirm that the project is still alive (or undead) is another question. Relativity reps have yet to respond to my requests for clarity on the matter.  If they get back to me, I'll update.

In the meantime, if a remake ever does get made, I'd love to see Michael Shannon as Severin and Christopher Walken in the patriarchal Jesse Hooker role that Henriksen played.

Here's the official trailer to the film followed by a clip of Paxton at his bloody best.

Watch The Trailer For Kathryn Bigelow's Original Near Dark

Bill Paxton Chews The Scenery (And His Victims)

What do you think?  Ripe for a remake?  By which director and with what cast?  Leave them in the comments section.

[Empire]

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