Work is underway on a new version of one of the most important films of the 1970s, Francis Ford Coppola’s thriller “The Conversation.” The remake will be produced in the form of a limited series, with J.C. Chandor (“Margin Call”, “Triple Frontier”) directing and writing.
“The Conversation”: What do we know about the new version?
The production is being handled by MRC Studios, known for hits such as “House of Cards,” “Ozark,” and “The Great.” Erin Levy (“Mindhunter,” “Mad Men”) will serve as the showrunner. It is not yet known who will play the lead role, but there’s speculation in Hollywood that Aubrey Plaza, known from “Parks & Recreation” and “White Lotus,” could take on the role.
The original “Conversation” premiered in 1974. Its protagonist is Harry Caul (Gene Hackman) – a skilled surveillance expert who obsessively guards his privacy. He trusts no one, lives alone, and avoids deep relationships with people. However, when he is hired to record conversations of a young couple, his orderly life begins to spiral out of control. Harry suspects that those being surveilled are in danger. For the first time, he emotionally invests in the case and delays delivering the recording to the client (Robert Duvall).
“The Conversation” won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and received three Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. However, it lost the main Academy Award to another Coppola film – “The Godfather Part II.” Reportedly, Paramount Studios funded “The Conversation” only on the condition that Coppola agreed to make a sequel to the mafia blockbuster.
The protagonist of the new version will be a surveillance specialist and a technophobe who gets entangled in a corporate espionage plot. To find answers to her pressing questions and save herself, the woman will have to abandon her solitary lifestyle.
Let’s remind ourselves that Chandor’s filmography includes the adaptation of the comic book “Kraven the Hunter,” which will debut on screens on August 30.
IN SUMMARY: Why do we love “The Conversation”?
