For those that like their bad news to come in twos, the news that family comedy hack Chris Columbus intends to option a successful Korean film and remake it in English (or the nearest American approximation) should sate their masochism now. Yes, the man who wrote two of the best mainstream films of the 80's- Gremlins and The Goonies- and subsequently set about destroying that legacy by merrily directing every ham-fisted hyper-commercial script a studio could fling at him in avaricious anger, has decided to get on a band-wagon that appeared to have long disappeared into the sunset. Just when every stylish horror or thriller had been haplessly refashioned by the culturally ignorant American film market, Columbus has announced he would like to have a try at doing the same with comedy by adapting Hello Ghost. The original features a man driven to a failed suicide attempt, subsequently stalked by four ghosts upon regaining consciousness:Columbus said of the film:
"After watching Hello Ghost I was immediately struck by the film's ability to mix comedy, drama and complex emotional themes. Its strong universal storyline translates to any culture, and I'm looking forward to bringing a version of this wonderful story to the English-speaking audience."
Columbus will co-produce the film himself along with Mark Barnathan and Mark Ratcliffe of 1492. This will be the American directors first feature film since Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, which was based on a Rick Riordan novel and made enough money to buy Eastern Europe. The once great screenwriter has become a boon to accountants and a bane to art- this shows few signs of abating.