Filmmakers John Erick Dowdle and Drew Dowdle are working on a new adaptation of The Cabinet Of Doctor Caligari, starring Michael Shannon. Another day, another reimagining of a classic film! This time, it’s Robert Wiene’s 1920 masterpiece The Cabinet Of Doctor Caligari that is getting a new version, courtesy of As Above So Below filmmakers ... New reimagining of The Cabinet Of Doctor Caligari in the works with Michael Shannon
Filmmakers John Erick Dowdle and Drew Dowdle are working on a new adaptation of The Cabinet Of Doctor Caligari, starring Michael Shannon.
Another day, another reimagining of a classic film! This time, it’s Robert Wiene’s 1920 masterpiece The Cabinet Of Doctor Caligari that is getting a new version, courtesy of As Above So Below filmmakers John Erick Dowdle and Drew Dowdle.
Variety reports that John Erick is set to direct from a script he and his brother will write. The project is titled Doctor Caligari’s Cabinet Of Wonders and Michael Shannon will star as the titular character.
“Having worked with Michael Shannon on multiple projects, my brother and I have seen firsthand the unnerving intensity he can bring to even the simplest moments,” said John Erick Dowdle, referring to TV’s Waco and Waco: The Aftermath which starred Shannon. “The idea of seeing him play the horrifying Doctor Caligari became an obsession for us. The trust and creative shorthand we’ve built together will allow us to push deeper and bolder as we reimagine this iconic German Expressionist classic for a modern audience. I couldn’t be more excited to bring this nightmare to life with him.”
Here is how Variety describes the plot of the new film: “The mind-bending psychological horror will star Shannon (“Man of Steel,” “Nuremberg”) as the titular villain, Doctor Caligari, a traveling mesmerist who journeys from town to town with a sleepwalker under his control, leaving a trail of grisly murders in their wake. When a young woman’s boyfriend disappears mysteriously, she believes that the enigmatic Caligari is somehow responsible. The problem is — nobody believes her.”
The project comes with some expectations. The Cabinet Of Doctor Caligari is one of the most iconic works of German cinema and a huge stylistic influence in film noir. Many also consider it to be one of the first horror films ever made.
Perhaps the most famous sequence from the 1920 film is the scene where Cesare abducts Jane from her bedroom. The scene’s surreal, nightmare-like aesthetic has been studied and debated by film students around the world for over a century now.
Whether the Dowdle brothers will attempt to recreate any of that style remains to be seen, but if they go down that road, it’s an uphill climb for sure. The duo’s 2014 film As Above So Below is a particularly stylish and atmospheric horror movie, so there is a lot to get excited about here.
More on Doctor Caligari’s Cabinet Of Wonders as we hear it.
