Robert Downey Jr. says his ‘Vertigo’ remake “can do better” than Alfred Hitchcock’s original
Robert Downey Jr. has discussed a potential remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, stating he believes they “can do better” than the original.
Earlier this year, it was revealed Paramount Pictures had bought the rights to make a remake of the psychological thriller, released in 1958. Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight has been tasked with writing the script, while Downey Jr. is set to star and produce the project with his wife Susan Downey.
Currently, there is no time scale attached to the project, but Downey Jr. has confirmed they are exploring the idea. Speaking to the New York Times, he said: “We are certainly looking into it. You know why?”
Upon receiving a response accusing it of being a “crazy” notion, the Oppenheimer actor explained: “Exactly! Not even risky. Advisably ridiculous to even consider. Great, let’s look into it! First of all, who would our partners be in it? Love them, respect them. Second of all, let me reread the original synopsis. I think we can do better.”
Downey Jr. elaborated: “I’ll tell you why. I have been rock climbing before and gotten stuck in that panic freeze, and if not for the sheer embarrassment, I would have asked to have been hoisted off that rock. I lost my confidence in my positioning, the drop was too far, my body reacted. It wasn’t fight-or-flight; it was freeze-and-about-to-faint.”
He continued: “I’ll never forget it, and it made me think there are cinematic devices that have yet to be fully utilized that I think would provide an experience in trying to say, ‘What does it feel like to be psychologically silly with fear over something that should be manageable?’ That might be entertaining.”
Downey Jr. is set to star alongside Cillian Murphy and Emily Blunt in Christopher Nolan’s new film Oppenheimer, arriving in cinemas on July 21st. Blunt recently discussed Murphy’s intense workload to prepare for the role, stating that “the sheer volume of what he had to take on and shoulder is so monumental. Of course he didn’t want to come and have dinner with us…He couldn’t. His brain was just too full.”
Watch the trailer for Oppenheimer below.
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