Back when Luca Guadagnino first announced his plans to remake Suspiria, many were skeptical – me included. Why would we need a new take on the material when Argento's 1977 classic is such a candy-colored masterpiece? It turns out that Guadagnino was idiosyncratic enough to get away with it, proposing such a distinct vision that comparing it to the other movie feels beside the point. Hence, when the director told the world he'd helm a Scarface remake from a Coen Bros. script, the consensus was more hopeful than before. Well, that picture is officially off of Guadagnino's schedule, joining the ranks of many a dropped project…
It's always interesting to note when directors reach a certain status within the industry and their future overflows with supposed new projects. Then comes the point when those hopeful ideas crash into reality, plans unplanned as far as the eye can see. People like Guillermo del Toro and David Fincher are infamous for it, and it's about time we add Luca Guadagnino to their ranks. Don't believe me? Here's a list of productions announced by the Italian director over the past few years:
- The Call Me By Your Name sequel has been teased ad nauseam since that film first hit the festival circuit in 2017. Whether or not it would take inspiration from Aciman's follow-up novel is unclear, but after the Armie Hammer controversy, it all seems dead in the water. That said, both the director and star Timothée Chalamet still talk about their desire to make it from time to time.
- A Suspiria sequel to continue the witchy universe of his 2018 film. Sadly, mainstream backlash and lack of public interest quickly made it fall through into oblivion.
- The second season of We Are Who We Are will never be, even if Guadagnino talked about his intention to do it. Here, one mostly blames HBO.
- For BBC, the director was supposed to make a new adaptation of Brideshead Revisited, perfect material for his cinematic sensibilities. However, his plans proved too expensive, and he was forced to abandon them.
- Honing on its horror possibilities, there's a Lord of the Flies adaptation ahead, though it's been three years since the announcement. I'll believe it when I see it.
- For Apple Studios, Guadagnino is supposed to collaborate with Rooney Mara. Supposedly, they were going to make an Audrey Hepburn biopic. At the moment, it's confirmed canceled.
- It's been many years since it was announced, but it finally seems Burial Rites is in production. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence as a woman accused of murder, forcibly isolated in a remote farm.
- After a lifetime achievement award led to some introspection, the director recut A Bigger Splash into an extended version with around 70 additional minutes of footage. The edit is out there, but it's unsure when the public will get to see it.
- And, finally, the Scarface remake was meant to follow the steps of Howard Hawks and Brian De Palma. It's not to be, sadly. Can you imagine a Guadagnino and Giulia Piersanti-styled take on Elvira Hancock? We lost so much.
Beyond all those projects cum conjectures, Guadagnino fans need not despair. Challengers is coming next year, and Queer, starring Daniel Craig, is confirmed and in post-production. He's also still signed on to direct episodes of The Shards series, adapted from Bret Easton Ellis' homonymous book. Like We Are Who We Are, it's HBO, so we hope it meets a different fate than that other show's second season.
Also, for Scarface aficionados, this month there'll be a special theatrical re-release of De Palma's 1983 movie, to celebrate its 40th anniversary.
So, dear reader, what do you think of Guadagnino's litany of dropped projects? Which one do you mourn most?