Believe it or not, a Vertigo remake with Robert Downey Jr. from a script by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight is in development.
Knight shared a promising update about the Vertigo remake in an exclusive interview with The Direct. Judging by his comments, the remake is happening.
“It’s swirling around in my head as we speak,” Knight told The Direct about the Vertigo script.
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Paramount Pictures acquired the rights to the Vertigo remake in March 2023. Downey is attached to star in James Stewart’s role. Downey will produce alongside his wife, Susan, John Davis, and John Fox.
News has been quiet on the Vertigo front until now, as Knight grapples with the fact that he’s been tasked to write a script for a remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece.
“I’m having flashbacks to about an hour ago when I was writing,” Knight explained. “It’s an interesting… I mean, of course, people consider it the best film ever made. So you’d have to be an idiot to adapt it, and so that’s what I am.
“But, you know, I like stuff like that. I like it. It’s just so weird to try and do it and just give it a go. Taking that plot apart is like diffusing a second World War time bomb. It’s all over. It’s very complex, but it’s what’s occupying my waking hours.”
1958’s Vertigo stars Stewart as John “Scottie” Ferguson, a former San Francisco police officer who retired early due to a fear of heights and vertigo. Scottie is hired as a private investigator to trail his former acquaintance’s wife (Kim Novak), who begins to behave strangely.
Vertigo is widely considered one of the greatest movies ever made, with many calling it Hitchcock’s greatest movie. Sight and Sound ranked Vertigo No. 2 on 2022’s Top 100 Greatest Films of All Time list.
