Earth to Stand Still Again?

Scott Derrikson and Angelina Jolie onboard remake?

Haven’t spoken to Scott Derrikson (“The Exorcism of Emily Rose”) for a bit, so can’t tell you whether this is full-speed-ahead or not, but according to IESB the filmmaker may be circling a remake of “The Day the Earth Stood Still” (1951).

Remember that little beautie? It told of an alien (Klaatu) and his mighty robot (Gort) that land their spacecraft on Cold War-era Earth just after the end of World War II. They have a message for the humans… but find it difficult to translate… so they used an alternative approach.

The site also reports that Angelina Jolie has been offered the lead role. I assume when they say ‘lead’, they mean the role that Patricia Neal played in the original, that of Helen Benson, and not the robot or alien, right? (Though, stranger things have happened).

I decided to check in with a contact at Fox, the studio behind the project, and see whether there was any truth to it… seems there is. Though they wouldn’t confirm that Derriksen or Jolie are onboard the project, a contact did confirm that a “Earth Stood Still” remake is in the works.. .and that Emma Watts is the executive on the project. Ryne Douglas Pearson, the writer of “The Eye” remake, is believed to have worked on the screenplay.