Remake of Alfred Hitchcock's 'Vertigo' to Star Robert Downey Jr.

 

Paramount Pictures has acquired the rights to remake Alfred Hitchcock's classic 1958 psychological thriller, Vertigo, with Robert Downey Jr. set to star as retired detective John "Scottie" Ferguson. Downey will be reprising the role originally played by James Stewart. Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight will be writing the screenplay, while Davis Entertainment will be producing in collaboration with Team Downey and Susan Downey. This will be the first time an American studio has attempted a full-blown remake of a Hitchcock film.

Vertigo follows Ferguson, a former San Francisco police detective, who is hired by an acquaintance to follow his wife and ends up becoming obsessed with her. The film is based on the 1954 French novel D'entre les morts and is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. Downey has been relatively quiet as an actor since his role in Avengers: Endgame in 2019, with his latest appearances being in Dolittle and the Netflix documentary Sr.

This is not the only project on Downey's plate, as he is also set to star in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer as well as the Park Chan-wook-directed The Sympathizer TV series for HBO and A24. Knight, the writer for the Vertigo remake, has also been brought on board to write an untitled Star Wars film directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. Original screenwriters Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson have officially left the project. While some Hitchcock films have been remade before, this will be the first time an American studio has attempted to remake Vertigo.