Being considered a stone-cold classic and boasting Oscars in its trophy cabinet is no protection for a movie from the remake machine these days. The latest target for the update/reboot is Western drama High Noon.
The 1952 film, which won four Oscars (star Gary Cooper took home Best Actor) focuses on Marshal Will Kane, played by Cooper, who is planning to hang up his spurs and six-gun. But when he learns that a vicious criminal he helped to jail has been released and is on his way to get revenge, Kane soon discovers that the small town he's protected for years won't help him... And the time is ticking away until the bullets start flying.
For the new version Relativity Studios plans to update the story to a modern-day setting along the cartel-heavy US-Mexican border. So expect something more along the lines of Sicario. New Relatively boss Dana Brunetti got the rights after negotiating with Karen Kramer, daughter of Stanley who produced the original for director Fred Zinnemann. “High Noon is one of the most iconic films of all time,” said Brunetti. “I’m honored to be a part of modernizing this timeless story and bringing it to a new generation.”
While there's a big argument to be made that the switched setting and altered plot would be better served with an original title and not trying to peg it to the original, plans for this one are already underway, with the hunt for a writer to start work on the script. And yes, you're not imagining it; several movies have used the basic concept, including 1981's sci-fi take Outland.