Christopher Nolan’s Memento is only 15 years old, but that’s apparently a long enough period for a remake to be considered.
Yes, seriously — a remake of Nolan’s 2000 film is soon to be in development, according to The Hollywood Reporter. International production group AMBI Pictures recently acquired the rights to 400 movies from Exclusive Media Group and announced Memento will be the first project that the company remakes. (Other titles in the library include Cruel Intentions, Donnie Darko and Sliding Doors.)
The original starred Guy Pearce as Leonard Shelby, a man pursuing his wife’s murderer but suffers from a condition that negates his short-term memory. That results in him literally taking notes for clues on himself with tattoos. What made Memento unique was the structure of its story, written by Nolan and his brother Jonathan, in which part of the story was told in reverse chronological order.
“Memento is a masterpiece that leaves audiences guessing not just throughout the film, but long after as well, which is a testament to its daring approach,” said AMBI Pictures’ Monika Bacardi in a statement.
“We intend to stay true to Christopher Nolan’s vision and deliver a memorable movie that is every bit as edgy, iconic and award-worthy as the original. It’s a big responsibility to deliver something that lives up to the mastery of the original, but we are extremely excited and motivated to bring this puzzle back to life and back into the minds of moviegoers.”
Nolan has made seven films since Memento, including his Batman “Dark Knight” trilogy. But many fans and critics consider his sophomore effort to be his best movie, a breakout which established Nolan as one of the most creative and visionary directors currently working. Whomever is chosen to write and direct the film has some significantly large films to fill, not just in terms of the talent behind the original film, but the affection held for it among film lovers.
Memento remake, where Lenny remembers via Instagram instead of polaroids, tweets instead of tattoos.
— Erin Whitney (@CinemaBite) November 16, 2015
I often get irritated with a friend of mine when he says that Hollywood has run out of original ideas. But then projects like this are announced, with really no good reason for existing when the original still holds up extremely well, and it looks like he’s right.
This seems like a terrible idea. I can’t imagine anyone supporting redoing or attempting to update Memento. We should all applaud if a remake was actually able to improve upon Nolan’s film. And maybe it’s short-sighted to automatically assume a new version won’t measure up. But really, what are the chances?
