Hitchcock specialist takes in "Lodger" remake

(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-06-27 19:11

LOS ANGELES - Alfred Hitchcock's first film, "The Lodger," is being remade as an urban thriller set in Los Angeles.

The Sony Pictures update of the 1927 film marks the feature directing debut of documentary filmmaker David Ondaatje. His credits include two movies inspired by the so-called Master of Suspense, the short film "Waiting for Dr. MacGuffin" and the related documentary "Undressing Hitchcock

"The Lodger" was based on the true story of the hysteria caused by the Jack the Ripper's killing spree that took place over several weeks in 1888. Ondaatje's adaptation is broken into two converging plot lines set in present-day Los Angeles. The first involves an uneasy relationship between a psychologically unstable landlady and her enigmatic lodger, and the second is about a troubled detective engaged in a cat-and-mouse game with an unknown killer.

Ondaatje adapted the screenplay from Marie Belloc Lowndes' novel, which served as the basis for the Hitchcock film. He will also serve as a producer.