J Horror has always been a Hollywood favorite for remaking and we have seen several small budget J Horror films becoming box office blockbusters after being remade in Hollywood, most notably Grudge and The Ring. Considering this trend, it was quite surprising to see that one of the most acclaimed J Horror titled AUDITION, which was released in 1999 was never remade. It was reported that the dark content and gore of the film left the Hollywood agents skeptical about the success of the film in Hollywood.
But finally after 15 years, this Japanese masterpiece is going to be remade in English. Website Bloody Disgusting reported that producer of hit films like Rambo and Terminator Mario Kassar has been hired for the project and subsequently writer-director Richard Grey is also on board now for the English version.
The Japanese classic tells the story of a middle-aged widower who after the pursuance of his 17-year-old son agrees to start dating again. With the help of his producer friend he arranges an audition where young women were called to play the part of his wife wherein the widower gets immediately attracted by ASAMI, a girl whose background was quite mysterious. In spite of being discouraged by his friend, he gets into a relationship with that girl who lives alone in an apartment with a sack and a phone. Once he is in, there is no way out because whatever he thought about the girl was way beyond the reality. Ryo Ishibashi has played the role of the widower while Eihi Shiina played the character of ASAMI, which was well appreciated by the critics.
The original film has a cult following mainly because of its disturbing scenes and gore though was in some sections also criticized for its low speed and lesser number of subplots. Let’s wait for the English version and hope that something shocking and fresh will be served.
