Memento, the intricate, time-hopping thriller that helped put Christopher Nolan on the map, is getting a remake via AMBI Pictures.
Announcing the news earlier today, the studio is set to finance and produce the modern retelling, which will be headed up by Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi on behalf of AMBI. Citing the layered and rich story of the hit 2000 thriller as vindication for the remake, Iervolino had the following to say about introducing the film to a new generation from a decidedly different angle.
“‘Memento’ has been consistently ranked as one of the best films of its decade. People who’ve seen ‘Memento’ 10 times still feel they need to see it one more time. This is a quality that we feel really supports and justifies a remake. The bar is set high thanks to the brilliance or Christopher Nolan, but we wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Penned and directed by Nolan, Memento stars Guy Pearce as an amnesiac who sets out on a vengeful path to locate the man responsible for murdering and raping his wife. What makes this feat all the more difficult, however, is that his character is subject to a rare, incurable form of memory loss, and this is reflected in the rather brilliant way in which the film is presented, blending black-and-white vignettes with color sequences that tell the story in reverse. At the time, it was nominated for Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing at the Oscars – and deservedly so.
It was originally adapted from Memento Mori, a short story written by Christopher Nolan’s brother, Jonathan, though the jury’s still out on whether either of the Nolans will be involved in AMBI Pictures remake. Indeed, it’s understand that the company gained the rights to Memento following its recent acquisition of Exclusive Media Group, opening up an archive of some 400 films.