When I caught up with producer Wyck Godfrey this weekend, I found out that he already has one young actress in mind to star in his upcoming remake of the French-Canadian fright film Martyrs -- Twilight star Kristen Stewart. Hit the jump to find out what Godfrey told me.
"I would love for Kristen to do it," said the Twilight Saga producer, whose previous genre credits include I, Robot and AVP: Alien vs. Predator. Godfrey, who has a long list of titles in development with producing partner Marty Bowen, seemed particularly enthusiastic about making an English-language version of Pascal Laugier's 2009 French-Canadian tale of two young women out for revenge. (That pic, starring Mylène Jampanoï and Morjana Alaoui, is considered part of a new wave of extreme French-language genre cinema, alongside films like Inside (À l'interieur), Them (Ils), and Frontier(s).)
"We're doing it for an American audience with an American cast," Godfrey said, adding that "the script we've written for it is awesome." (As reported last month by Bloody Disgusting, Vacancy writer Mark L. Smith has penned a draft of the script for Godfrey and Bowen's production company Temple Hill Entertainment.)
Godfrey says his enthusiasm to make an American version of Martyrs is rooted in a deep appreciation of the original film. "I love that movie," he said, "[although] I think it's not remake-able in its form for an American audience. But the core elements of it are fascinating. I love the cult and what it's about, and I'm also obsessed with the nature of childhood friends -- growing up when one doesn't believe the other one and the corruption between that. I'm excited."
Laugier's controversially extreme Martyrs earned polarizing reviews upon release thanks to its gruesome, brutal content -- not exactly the kind of Stewart vehicle Twilight fans might eat up, even those old enough to buy tickets. But we're hard pressed to name a young actress of Stewart's caliber with the guts to tackle a role like this, and she's proven her willingness to push boundaries and take on daring material. Then again, Stewart's dance card is pretty much filled up for the next year or so as she wraps up the final two films in the Twilight series and shoots smaller titles she's already attached to, so Godfrey's dream casting may not even be possible.
Chime in, people! Could you see Kristen Stewart in a remake of Martyrs? And should they even remake Martyrs at all?
Subject: 'Twilight' Producer Wants Kristen Stewart for 'Martyrs' Remake 
Sun Jun 13, 2010 2:14 pm