Mark Pellington To Direct THE ORPHANAGE Remake

A couple of months ago, Larry Fessenden revealed that he was no longer attached to direct of THE ORPHANAGE the remake that New Line was developing, due to creative differences, but he still hoped the studio would still use his script that he co-wrote with Guillermo Del Toro who helped bring the original Spanish language version Il Orfanato directed by GDT’s other entourage, Juan Antonio Bayona, a movie that I considered one of the scariest of 2007. Variety says the project now has found itself a replacement director..

The U.S. version will be directed by Mark Pellington. Some of the movies he’s helmed were Henry Poole Is Here, Arlington Road, U2 3D, The Mothman Prophecies. The first 3 titles were excellent, especially Arlington Road but I wasn’t a big fan of Mothman Prophecies. I’m not sure if Pellington is the right man to take on THE ORPHANAGE but it’s better him doing this than Matt Reeves meddling with Let The Right One In remake.

The original THE ORPHANAGE was about Laura, an orphan growing up in an orphanage with her five little friends. Years later she brings her husband and her adopted child, Simon to live in the house and they have plan to run the place as a shelter for kids with problem. Simon starts making invisible friends, at first it’s not serious but when Simon disappears, a secret from the past is slowly revealed and to find Simon back, Laura is forced to play the game they used to play when they were kids. Check out my review