Mark Pellington will direct 'Orphanage' remake

Spanish hit horror thriller can't escape remake; director found for new version

As you may know already, Juan Antonio Bayona's excellent horror flick "The Orphanage" (El orfanato) will get the Hollywood remake treatment (as sad as it is), and Mark Pellington is now officially in negotiations to direct the new version.

Last thing I heard, Larry Fessenden was set to helm the project, but Variety now says Pellington is in talks for the job. Fessenden co-wrote the script for the remake with Guillermo del Toro, who also produced the original film.

The original film focuses on Laura (Belen Rueda), whose dream of reopening the orphanage she grew up in is in jeopardy when her 7-year-old son starts playing mysterious fantasy games with an invisible friend.

As far as Pellington is concerned, his directing credits include "Arlington Road," "The Mothman Prophecies" (which I really enjoyed) and more recently, "Henry Poole Is Here."

Does the world need a remake of "The Orphanage"? Hell no! Am I excited that Del Toro co-wrote the script of the remake? Hell yes. That's the only hope I have for this project. BTW, the original "Orphanage" is one of the scariest flicks I've seen in a long time.