A Poltergeist remake has been in the works for a couple of years, but now it finally looks like it’s moving forward with the news that Rosemarie Dewitt has signed up to star. The search for a male lead is currently under way, according to Deadline.
News of the the project first emerged back in February 2011, when MGM announced a spate of potential remakes and other projects, after the studio came out of bankruptcy. It took a while to sort out, but in March Monster House filmmaker Gil Kenan signed up to direct from a screenplay provided by David Lindsay-Abaire (Oz: The Great and Powerful, Rise of the Guardians). No story details have been released, so it’s not clear how close to the 1982 original it will be. Sam Raimi and Nathan Kahane are producing.
The original Poltergeist, directed by Tobe Hooper from a screenplay by Steven Spielberg, Michael Grais, and Mark Victor, centered on a family haunted by evil entities that were trying to claim control of their daughter. Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, and Dominique Dunne starred.
Rosemarie DeWitt most recently starred in Promised Land and Touchy Feely. The actress signed on for the female lead in Kill the Messenger last month.