Overture Films just sent over word that they finished their first day of principal photography on Let Me In, the American remake of Let the Right One In.
Filming is taking place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, so you can
eliminate any thoughts of the film retaining the stark and
wintery look of the original.
The cast has been finalized as well, and includes a few familiar names.
The two kids are now named Owen and Abby and played by Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Road) and Chloe Moretz (500 Days of Summer).
Cara Buono (The Sopranos) plays Owen’s mother and Sasha Barrese (The
Hangover) will play Virginia, the woman who gets turned in the original
film. Richard Jenkins will play whatever Hakan’s new name is in the
film, and he seems like a great choice, and Elias Koteas has joined the
cast as a policeman. Will this be the updated version of Virginia’s
husband, the man driven by grief to find out what happened to the
people he loved and destroy the person responsible? Or will he simply
be a cop that’s trying to solve a case?
One funny thing is that the synopsis for the film doesn’t mention the
V-word, instead describing Abby’s character as a “mysterious newcomer”
who makes Owen discover “an unconventional path to adulthood”. They’re
very quick to note that while the film will pay homage to the original
they’re doing this their own way, making it completely Americanized.
“This project is very personal
to Matt (Reeves) as it is to the many passionate fans of the original
story,” said Simon Oakes, President and CEO of Hammer Films. “The
brilliance of that story deserves to be seen by audiences on a wide
scale and we are excited that the pieces are in place to make that a
reality.”
Funny, I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what Magnet said when they released the original film in theaters.
Filming should wrap in January if all goes well, and they’re already on Facebook and Twitter so you can follow its progress. We will as well, with the trepidation it deserves.