Original ‘Flatliners’ Star Kiefer Sutherland Joins ‘Flatliners’ Remake
Sony is trying to reviveFlatliners, and they’re enlistingKiefer Sutherlandto help them out. The actor, who starred in the originalFlatlinersfrom 1990, has signed on for the upcoming remake, which will starEllen Page,Diego Luna,Nina Dobrev,James Norton, andKiersey Clemons.Niels Arden Oplevis directing the new version.
Deadlinereports the Kiefer SutherlandFlatlinerscasting is not a done deal, but that he is “committed” to joining the cast after working out a schedule so he could do both the movie and his ABC seriesDesignated Survivor. Sutherland will play a “seasoned doctor” in the new movie. No word on how or if his role will connect to his part from the original film.
Directed byJoel Schumacher, the originalFlatlinersstarred Sutherland,Julia Roberts,Kevin Bacon,Billy Baldwin, andOliver Plattas five medical students curious about what lies beyond death. They purposely trigger near-death experiences by stopping their hearts so they can explore the afterworld before they’re resuscitated by the others. But as the experiments go further and further, the consequences start to spiral out of control.
Flatlinersseems like a curious choice to get the remake treatment because the original didn’t make a huge impression. It got mixed reviews and earned decent money, but it doesn’t have a huge fanbase and it seems unlikely anyone’s spent the past 26 years wishing for moreFlatliners. What it does have, though, is a great concept. And the fact that it lacks a devoted fandom may actually be a plus, since that means the filmmakers are freer to do what they want without pissing off any diehard fans.
Director Oplev’s credits includeThe Girl With the Dragon Tattooand theMr. Robotpilot. The script comes fromBen Ripley, best known forSource Code.Michael Douglas, who produced the original, will also produce the remake withLaurence Mark. Shooting is set to begin in Toronto later this week.
Sutherland is coming off of the24revival and the Western dramaForsaken, in which he starred opposite his father Donald Sutherland. He also had a small but amusing role as a fictionalized version of himself in the otherwise pretty terribleZoolander 2.
