The Others Remake Lands at Universal Pictures

Earlier this year came the news that Sentient Entertainment had secured the rights to remake director Alejandro Amenabar’s 2001 horror film The Others. Now news has come down that they’ve found a partner, with Deadline reporting that Universal Pictures will produce and release the film. Renee Tab and Christopher Tuffin of Sentient will produce the film with Aliwen Entertainment’s Lucas Akoskin. As of this writing it’s unclear who will be tapped to write and direct, but the outlet claims that they’re in the process of finding a screenwriter for the new film. It was previously reported they were eager to have “A-list talent” involved and would “reinvent and modernize” the concept.

Set in 1945, the movie follows a mother (Nicole Kidman) who is tasked with taking care of her children in their massive mansion as her husband is away at the war. When a group of mysterious servants appear looking for work, the mother is quick to make good use of them, despite the medical condition of her children that makes them painfully sensitive to bright light. The arrival of these new workers coincides with bizarre events beginning to unfold, hinting that there could be many more residents of this Victorian home.

“I am honored to be able to work on my favorite horror film of all time, The Others, and to bring this reimagining to the big screen for new audiences,” producer Renee Tab said previously about the project. “It is almost eerie and uncanny how timely the themes are today: self-isolation, paranoia and fear, and of course the intense desire to protect our children and ourselves from harm. We look forward to unraveling the layers behind lead character Grace, whose pain and demons draw viewers into a truly compassionate journey.”

In a surprising turn, this isn’t the only remake of the gothic thriller that’s in the works. Just two months after the feature film remake was announced to be in the works it was revealed that BTF Media had optioned the series for television. The TV adaptation of the feature is being developed as a Spanish-language project. Considering the length of time it could take to develop both projects and ongoing complications with the coronavirus pandemic, it could be a while before we see either, and maybe they’ll arrive at the same time.

The original version of The Others would score over $200 million at the worldwide box office, while also nabbged seven Goya Awards, the national awards organization in Spain. Kidman landed BAFTA and Golden Globe Awards nominations for her performance in the film.