Since directing the immensely popular “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” in 2009, director Niels Arden Oplev hasn’t been hitting the big screen that much aside from the largely panned “Dead Man Down.” Instead, he’s been cutting his teeth across the television landscape with popular series’ such as “Mr. Robot” and genre fare like “Under the Dome.” That’s about to change with his latest film “Flatliners,” a somewhat odd choice for his first film since 2013 but one that he’s acquired quite a cast for.
A sequel to the 1990 film of the same name, Ellen Page, Diego Luna and Nina Dobrev star in this science fiction horror film. While sequels, reboots, and remakes are hot button items these days in Hollywood, one has to wonder just who was clamoring for a “Flatliners” sequel. However, we live in a world where “The Emoji Movie” is, in fact, a thing, so perhaps surprise is no longer acceptable.
Joel Schumacher directed the original 1990 film with Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon and Kiefer Sutherland, receiving middling reviews upon its release. With a fall debut, perhaps Oplev’s version will capitalize on the appeal of horror films around that time of year while also offering up something different from the original. Sutherland will return in the sequel, reprising his role from Schumacher’s film as a grown up Nelson who’s managed to survive crossing over to death and returning, allowing for an interesting thread from the get go: what does this knowledge mean for the new crop of characters?
READ MORE: Kiefer Sutherland Reboots Himself Into ‘Flatliners’ Remake
Also starring James Norton and Kiersey Clemons and written by Ben Ripley (“Source Code”), Screen Gems will release the film on September 29th.
