Casting Call: Strangers on a Train
In which we suggest who should star in the next big adaptation, remake, or historical film.
The 1950s were a particularly stellar decade for psychological crime thrillers, mostly thanks to “The Master of Suspense,” Alfred Hitchcock. Constantly exploring themes behind the psychology of murder and sexuality—not to mention his infamous twist endings and MacGuffins—Hitchcock is one of the most influential directors of the 20th century. Hitchcock’s 1951 film Strangers on a Train is a good example of the director’s genius. Based on the 1950 novel by Patricia Highsmith and boasting Raymond Chandler as its screenwriter, the film begins with a chance meeting of two strangers, the charismatic psychopath Bruno Antony and amateur tennis pro Guy Haines. Antony and Haines agree to “trade” murders to rid someone in their respective lives—an unpleasant father and an unfaithful wife—to ensure that they won’t get caught with the crimes. Calamity, misfortune, and deception ensue.
News broke a few days ago that the Hitchcockian classic would be getting a reboot at the hands of filmmaker David Fincher, screenwriter Gillian Flynn, and Ben Affleck, fresh off their Gone Girl success. Tentatively titled Strangers, the script will be redefined for the modern age—it will involve a movie star in the midst of an Oscar campaign, who’s forced to fly to Los Angeles in a wealthy stranger’s private plane after his own plane breaks down. Only Affleck has been confirmed for one of the starring roles, so we thought we’d fill out the rest of the cast in the slideshow above.
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