The SUSPIRIA Remake Seems to Be Moving Forward with Tilda Swinton and Dakota Johnson

The remake of Dario Argento’s psychedelic 1977 horror film Suspiria seems to still be moving forward. This film has been in development for years. It started off with David Gordon Green at the helm, and then when he dropped out, a director by the name of Luca Guadagnino stepped in to take his place. He previously talked about the film:

"The film by Dario Argento was a very indicative moment of growing up for me because I saw it when I was 14. I think it changed me forever. I was obsessed [with Argento] through all my adolescence. [My version] is going to be set in Berlin in 1977. It’s going to be about the mother and the concept of motherhood and about the uncompromising force of motherhood. It’s going to be about finding your inner voice – the title is very evocative on these grounds."

The most recent news I’ve seen confirms the 1977 Berlin setting and also reveals that Tilda Swinton (Hail, Caesar!) and Dakota Johnson (Fifty Shades of Grey) will be starring in the film. The news comes from a Q&A with the director and was posted on Twitter. I think Swinton is a great actress, but I’m still not sold on Johnson. She hasn’t given a performance yet that has impressed me, so I don’t care for her taking part in the film if the news is true.

Those notes also tell us that Guadagnino wants John Adams to score the film and that this will be his most "Fassbinderian of his films." Rainer Werner Fassbinder is a German filmmaker who obviously inspired Guadagnino in his vision of this property.

The original film centered on a young girl named Suzy, who arrives in Freiburg to attend a renowned ballet academy, only to discover that it's a front for a powerful coven of witches. Guadagnino also talked about that vision:

“[It] will be very different. The movie by Dario Argento was maybe a child of its own times. It's very delicate; almost childish. I have a very strong interest in German literature and film, so I think [my] Suspiria will have to focus very strongly on that moment in history, in 1977, when Germany was divided and a new generation was claiming and asking to recognise the debt of guilt that forged the new Germany after the war against the fathers who wanted to deny the responsibility."

I think this new concept is intriguing, and if the film actually ends up going into production, I’d love to see how it turns out.

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