Deadline reports that Warner Bros. is bringing hot vampires back with a remake of 1983’s The Hunger. As you may or may not remember, depending on your age and level of David Bowie obsession, that film starred Bowie, Susan Sarandon, and Catherine Deneuve in a tangle of dangerous vampire attraction. It was, as Deadline succinctly put it, “atmospheric and sexy,” and based on a novel by Whitley Strieber.
True Blood executive producer Angela Robinson is in “final talks” to direct the film; she most recently directed 2017’s Professor Marston and the Wonder Women. Jessica Sharzer, a producer on Amazing Stories and writer on American Horror Story, is writing the script.
The Hunger is about a centuries-old vampire, Miriam, who takes human companions, using her blood to extend their lifespans—up to a point. (It’s a very unpleasant point.) When her lover, John, begins to age rapidly, he seeks out a scientist named Sarah who specializes in rapid aging. But as John grows weaker, it’s Sarah and Miriam whose lives are entangled.
The 1983 version was director Tony Scott’s first feature film, and the trailer is really something. Deneuve played Miriam; Bowie was her companion, John; Sarandon was Sarah, the scientist. The film wasn’t exactly a smash hit (Roger Ebert called it “an agonizingly bad vampire movie, circling around an exquisitely effective sex scene”) but has maintained cult status for decades. It’ll be interesting to see who gets cast in the remake; these are some big, iconic shoes to fill.
There’s no word yet on production schedule or release date.
