In a decision that makes sense on paper – but only if it’s followed by “Never mind, it’s just too soon” – Christopher Nolan’s classic 2000 thriller Memento will be remade, according to a new announcement from AMBI Pictures.
The original film starred Guy Pearce (L.A. Confidential) as a man incapable of making new memories, trying to solve the mystery of his wife’s murder. The film is told in an innovative reverse chronological order, so that the audience never knows exactly what happened to Pearce’s character before the beginning of the scene, keeping both the past and future a mystery.
Memento arrived to critical acclaim in the year 2000 and was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing at the Academy Awards. But fifteen years is a long time – apparently – so the time has come to solve the same puzzle all over again.
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AMBI Pictures has secured the rights to the Exclusive Media Group film library, and remaking Memento is their first big announcement. They also now own the rights to over 400 other films, including Donnie Darko, Cruel Intentions, End of Watch, Ides of March, The Mexican and Rush, at least some of which must be new enough to be off limits. But if the 15 year old Memento is fodder for a remake, especially given the fact that it holds up perfectly well today, then we seriously doubt that anything is off limits.
That said, like all such announcements, all we can do is hope for the best. Great films have become great remakes before, and will probably become great remakes again. We’re not saying that it’s impossible to tell the story of Memento all over again, we’re just saying that it’s completely unnecessary.
Good luck, AMBI Pictures. You will probably need it.
Photo: Summit Entertainment
William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on The B-Movies Podcast and watch him on the weekly YouTube series Most Craved and What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
