So, here’s a curveball no one had on their bingo card.
Yesterday, Variety reported that Japanese cult filmmaker Takashi Miike— the man behind cinematic fever dreams like “Ichi the Killer” and “Audition” — was teaming up British pop anarchist Charli XCX for a new project. The details? Kept a secret. But the rumor mill, ever so dramatic, is whispering that it might just be a remake of “Audition.”
Yep, Miike’s “Audition.” The 1999 horror film where a widowed film producer holds a fake casting call to find a new wife, only to fall for a quiet ex-ballerina who turns out to be his worst nightmare.
Here’s IMDb, always a bastion of totally reliable insider info is now listing Miike’s project with Charli as being an “Audition” remake. Sure, that could be the work of a troll with too much caffeine and not enough supervision, but here’s where it gets spicy: the production company listed? Charli’s own Studio365. The same outfit name that popped up in the original Variety piece. Coincidence? Maybe. Or maybe Focus Features quietly switched filmmakers on the project after previously tapping Christian Tafdrup (“Speak No Evil”) to direct back in January.
It’s Hollywood—plans shift fast. So, until there’s a press release or at least a leaked script, treat the IMDb listing with some suspicion. Still, Miike directing Charli XCX? That’s an unhinged combo that could work.
It’s unusual for an international filmmaker to remake his own film into a U.S. version, and it’s happened only a handful of times — one example is Michael Haneke remaking “Funny Games” in 2008. Other filmmakers who have done that include John Woo (“The Killer” 1989/2024), Takashi Shimizu (“The Grudge” 2002/2004), and George Sluizer (“The Vanishing” 1988/1993).