Variety reports that New Line is in negotatiations to make an English-language version of The Orphanage (2007) with Guillermo del Toro attached as a producer.  The supernatural thriller has been a hit with audiences and critics at various film festivals this year.  Perhaps because of all the good buzz, the release date is listed for December 28, 2007, moved up from a spring 2008 release.

 

No surprise that del Toro’s name appears in connection with the deal—he was a producer on El Orfanato, which was made with the help of Warner Brothers Espana.  In addition, the story appears to echo some of the themes of his The Devil’s Backbone (2001), for my money the most disturbing of his work.  (I admire Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) but at times it seems too ambitious for its own good). 

 

In terms of the bigger picture, I’m left wondering why genre films (which by definition appeal to mass audiences) in their original languages always seem to the relegated to the art house/limited release/film festival circuit.  I could perhaps understand such economic realities if Juan Antonio Bayona’s film was made, say, in the Czech Republic, but last I checked, millions of Americans speak Spanish as a first or second language.

  In short, why is an English remake even necessary?  Why not just go wide with the original version?  Of course these are just rhetorical questions.  Deciding to target all the Americans who prefer not to read subtitles is a marketing no-brainer.

 

Still, some questions remain.

  • How important is it to audiences that not only the language is familiar, but also that the setting and cultural context are as well?  I’m thinking of the remake of The Grudge (2004), which cleverly tried to have it both ways, by keeping the story in Japan and injecting an American protagonist into the milieu of the original film.

 

  • How critical is the non-U.S. market to such decisions?  Am I being myopic in thinking that the American market is the driving force here—when an English language version would also get theatrical releases in Australia and the U.K.?

 If anyone in the industry has insight into these issues, please enlighten us.