Another Val Lewton Remake On Its Way

RKO Pictures has hired writers Brian Horiuchi and Matt Lazarus to write the screenplay for an upcoming remake of the Val Lewton-produced Isle of the Dead (1945), according to HollywoodReporter.com. This comes just two months after RKO signed a deal with Twisted Pictures to produce remakes of four other Lewton properties. "Val Lewton made his name by taking the horror genre to a new place," said RKO chairman and CEO Ted Hartley. "Brian and Matt have the same kind of genre-bending sensibilities that will give this classic tale the perfect blend of contemporary themes and timeless scares."

The original film followed a group quarantined on a plague-ravaged Greek island and a military command (Boris Karloff) driven over the edge by the experience. The updated version will be set in Afghanistan during a viral outbreak. Given that Afghanistan is land-locked and has no bodies of water to speak of, I believe that we probably won't be seeing Isle as part of the new film's title.