I thought Swedish/Polish director Magnus von Horn’s “Sweat” was decent — it was selected for the 2020 edition of the Cannes Film Festival, which was cancelled due to COVID. The film follows a rising fitness influencer who dreams of matching the success of her idol, social media superstar Kat Highbrook, all while potentially having to deal with a stalker.
Because of the Cannes label, the film had a buzzy run, which culminated with Mubi snapping up U.S. rights. More importantly, von Horn would follow up “Sweat” with “The Girl With the Needle,” which competed in the Cannes competition and won international acclaim.
That said, “Sweat” is getting remade — shocking, I know — and Ana de Armas will be tackling the lead role, originally played by Magdalena Kolesnik. The picture is set to begin production on March 30 in Los Angeles, with additional casting underway.
J Blakeson — who directed “I Care a Lot” — has been tapped to helm the remake. His other films include “The Disappearance of Alice Creed” and “The 5th Wave.” Not the most impressive credits, which makes me doubt this will be superior to von Horn’s version.