Nearly 26 years since Takashi Miike‘s Japanese horror cult classic Audition first premiered at the Vancouver International Film Festival, Deadline brings word that Danish filmmaker Christian Tafdrup (the original Speak No Evil) is set to direct and co-write a new take on Ryū Murakami’s novel that inspired the 1999 movie. Focus Features, Hyde Park Entertainment, and Mario Kassar Productions are said to be nearing a production deal on the project. Miike’s Audition is highly regarded among genre fans and critics alike; the movie won the out-of-competition FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) Prize at the 2000 International Rotterdam Film Festival and launched Miike’s international career.
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Miike’s adaptation of Audition is considered by most horror fans as the perfect version of Murakami’s story, making the news of another interpretation bittersweet, especially if the new adaptation moves away from its Japanese origins. Still, Tafdrup steering the ship on the remake is encouraging. Tafdrup isn’t a stranger to bleak or shocking, so at least there’s no concern that the filmmaker will shy away from the dark tones of the narrative and its extremely violent third act.
Fans of the 2022 Danish horror movie Speak No Evil should feel reassured that Tafdrup and his co-writing partner and brother Mads will treat the source material respectfully in their iteration of Audition. When James Watkins remade Speak No Evil in 2024 (starring James McAvoy and Mackenzie Davis), Tafdrup’s biggest complaint concerned the changes made to the ending.
[RELATED – Speak No Evil Review: Cringy Descent Into Madness]
“I don’t know what it is about Americans, but they are brought up for a heroic tale, where the good must win over the bad, and this version of the film cultivates that,” the Danish filmmaker said on the radio show Kulturen. Tafdrup added that the American conclusion felt “less dangerous” and that the new version has “a kind of happy ending, and it is so deep in their culture that America must be able to handle it all.”
This is not the first time Audition has come close to seeing a remake or new adaptation. In fact, Kevin Bacon told Film Updates in July 2024 that Miike’s film is a favorite horror movie of his, and he attempted to spearhead an English-language remake of the cult classic. “I really tried for a lot of years to do an American version of it,” he said. “We never really got it together. It was difficult for a lot of reasons. I was close [to making it], but we didn’t get it all the way. But that is a great movie.”
Audition is available to stream on Shudder, Peacock, Tubi, and Screambox.
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