They’re here! In a year or two, at least.
THR has reported that Sam Raimi is set to produce a remake of the 1982 horror film Poltergeist, joining producers Nathan Kahane, Roy Lee, and Robert Tapert.
Raimi, a famed director of horror movies (The Evil Dead series), blockbusters (the Spider-Man series), and serious dramas (A Simple Plan), will not be directing, despite initial reports to the contrary.
Those who would like to see Raimi’s touch on the story, however, have historical precedent to be hopeful, as an auteur producer having great influence on a Poltergeist film is part of that series’ history. Steven Spielberg produced and co-scripted the 1982 original, which he had wanted to direct, but couldn’t officially because of a contract stipulation with his work on E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial the same year. Various members of the original Poltergeist‘s cast and crew claimed that Spielberg, not director Tobe Hopper, actually helmed the film.
Raimi is also producing a remake of his own 1981 film The Evil Dead, and is directing Disney’s Oz: The Great and Powerful, a prequel to the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter