Michael Ealy has booked a starring role in a remake of “Jacob’s Ladder,” the 1990 psychological thriller directed by Adrian Lyne, which starred Tim Robbins, Elizabeth Peña and Danny Aiello.
In the original film, the protagonist, Jacob, is a Vietnam veteran whose experiences prior to and during the war result in fragmented flashbacks and bizarre hallucinations that continue to haunt him, as he desperately tries to get to the bottom of it all.
Budgeted at a reported $25 million, it wasn’t much of a box office success, grossing just over $26 million domestically, according to Box Office Mojo. It received mostly positive reviews, scoring a 69% rating on movie aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. The film however would go on to become something of an influential cult classic.
David M. Rosenthal, who directed Ealy in last year’s “The Perfect Guy,” will do the same here, from a script penned by Jeff Buhler and Sarah Thorp, which Deadline says will be more of an “action thriller” and will center on two brothers. No other details are provided, but I assume Ealy will play one of the brothers (or maybe both).
LD Entertainment is producing the remake with Gaeta/Rosenzweig Films.
Will Packer will also produce via his Will Packer Productions shingle.
Principal photography is set to begin in May.
It’s been many, many years since I watched the original film, so I’ll need to revisit, as I can’t recall what I felt about it. Although Ealy’s version may be markedly different.
Watch a trailer for the original below:
Source: Shadow & Act
