By Tambay A. Obenson | Shadow and Act
Ten days after she said an official “good bye” to Fox’s “Sleepy Hollow” series, Nicole Beharie has joined Michael Ealy in the previously-announced remake of “Jacob’s Ladder,” the 1990 psychological thriller directed by Adrian Lyne, which starred Tim Robbins, Elizabeth Peña and Danny Aiello.
Also previously cast is Jesse Williams; although I’m only just learning about his joining the film.
In the original, 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 on this reboot, from a script penned by Jeff Buhler and Sarah Thorp, which will be more of an “action thriller” and will center on two brothers.
We already know that Ealy is starring in the remake, and it’s likely that Williams is the other brother; the announcement doesn’t specify; nor does it say what role Beharie has signed up to play. Although I’d guess that she’ll be Ealy’s girlfriend. In the original film, Elizabeth Peña played Jezebel “Jezzie” Pipkin, Jacob’s lover. But this remake looks like it might be taking an entirely different path.
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: