| Rod Lurie’s remake of Sam Peckinpah’s ‘70s classic, Straw Dogs, is coming together, with the news that Kate Bosworth and Alexander Skarsgard have joined the already-cast James Marsden in the siege thriller. Bosworth, whose Lois Lane was engaged to Marsden’s Richard White in Superman Returns, will go one better this time by playing the actress wife of Marsden’s screenwriter character. When he needs to finish a script in peace, Bosworth brings Marsden back to her hometown in Mississippi, catching the eye of her former boyfriend (Skarsgard, son of Stellan!), and inciting passions that will, all too soon, leave the happy couple fighting for their very lives. That’s if, of course, Lurie follows the Peckinpah template. If he does, then Marsden – in the Dustin Hoffman role – is going to become a nerd tornado, while Bosworth – in the Susan George part – will have a scene that is bound to cause controversy. We’ll say no more, but fans of the original will know what we’re talking about. We’re not going to rail against remakes here – partly because this is one that we have high hopes for – and not just because Lurie was a contributor to Empire in our formative, knee-high-to-Q years. It’s a fine premise, a good cast, there’s subtext and social comment galore, and there’s a high probability that this version won’t be consumed by its own scandalous reputation, as was Peckinpah’s. Shooting begins next month.
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