Jana B. Here,

Some people are fascinated by a moving film featuring struggling artists, sports stars, or the tragic events of the nuclear family. Some of us are enthralled by the twisted path of a demented and morally bankrupt serial killer. I fall into both categories, but I am really fascinated by serial killers. In fact, I wanted to be a serial killer tracker for the FBI at one point. Clearly, I was influenced by James Patterson’s Alex Cross novels. I did NOT like the movies based on his works, though. I did like Morgan Freeman as Alex Cross, but I digress.

I love a good serial killer movie. ‘Se7en‘, ‘Psycho‘, the understated ‘Mr. Brooks‘ and ‘Copycat‘, which involved my fascination of serial killers AND Harry Connick, Jr. I’ve watched the Tony Curtis and Henry Fonda film, ‘Boston Strangler‘ from 1968 many times.

Now, I know that I have railed and railed against remakes. I will continue to hold my position that remakes are draining the collective creative talents in Hollywood. HOWEVER, a remake of a true story is a different animal. You can always tell a better story of a true event. This is why I am excited about the news that a ‘Boston Strangler’ movie is being retooled. Mark Romanek, the writer and director of the eerie Robin Williams vehicle ‘One Hour Photo‘ is going to direct. Casey Affleck is set to star and executive produce. Affleck has a foothold in film with ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford‘ and ‘Gone Baby Gone‘. Kevin McCormick (‘Gangster Squad‘, ‘Hard Ball‘, ‘Saturday Night Fever‘) is producing the Chuck MacLean written script.

The finished product should be similar in tone and feeling to ‘Se7en‘ and ‘Zodiac‘. Using the facts surrounding Albert DeSalvo, the crime drama will feature a detective trying to solve the rash of killings in Boston during the early 1960’s. I hope this film is received in a way that encourages more movies based on the fertile ground of true crime.