Movies
Warners to remake 'Captain Blood' in space
Published Friday, Jul 31 2009, 14:58 BST | By Simon Reynolds
Warner Bros has announced plans to remake classic pirate movie Captain Blood in space.
The studio has hired brothers Michael and Peter Spierig (forthcoming vampire film Daybreakers) to direct and John Brownlow to write the script for the sci-fi swashbuckler.
Producer Bill Gerber told Variety that he was won over by the Spierig brothers' presentation pitch, saying: "At first, I felt like I was in that scene in The Player, where Buck Henry pitches the sequel to The Graduate.
"But when I took a look at their animatic depiction of a pirate battle in space, it had such a distinctive visual look to it that I said, 'Great, I get it.'"
The original Captain Blood, which turned Errol Flynn into a Hollywood star, told the story of a doctor who is convicted of treason and escapes to sea to become a pirate.
"There are some things you don't mess with, and that is as classic a movie storyline as you will ever find," Gerber added.
Warner Bros hired Phillip Noyce to direct a more traditional remake last year, but plans for that version appear to have been shelved.
The studio has hired brothers Michael and Peter Spierig (forthcoming vampire film Daybreakers) to direct and John Brownlow to write the script for the sci-fi swashbuckler.
Producer Bill Gerber told Variety that he was won over by the Spierig brothers' presentation pitch, saying: "At first, I felt like I was in that scene in The Player, where Buck Henry pitches the sequel to The Graduate.
"But when I took a look at their animatic depiction of a pirate battle in space, it had such a distinctive visual look to it that I said, 'Great, I get it.'"
The original Captain Blood, which turned Errol Flynn into a Hollywood star, told the story of a doctor who is convicted of treason and escapes to sea to become a pirate.
"There are some things you don't mess with, and that is as classic a movie storyline as you will ever find," Gerber added.
Warner Bros hired Phillip Noyce to direct a more traditional remake last year, but plans for that version appear to have been shelved.
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