Blockbuster film studio Warner Bros. is reportedly working on a remake of the classic vampire film The Hunger. The original film, based on the book by Whitley Strieber, featured Catherine Deneuve as a bisexual vampire and is widely regarded as a lesbian cult classic.
Released in 1983, the Tony Scott-helmed original film adaption of Strieber's book featured a young Susan Sarandon as Deneuve's lover and eventual victim Sarah. David Bowie also starred in the film. Deneuve, as the lead character Miriam, seduces young men and women and turns them into vampire companions with the promise of immortality.
In a twist on the classic vampire tale, however, only Miriam stays young forever. Her 'companions', on the other hand, are doomed to grow old but never die, trapped forever in failed, ancient bodies and locked in caskets in Miriam's basement.
The film received little critical acclaim and was certainly not a hit in the conventional sense. However, the film's dark interpretation of the traditional vampire tale and lesbian overtones rapidly garnered the movie a reputation as a cult classic.
There is little information about the new remake of Strieber's bestselling book The Hunger out there at present, other than the news Warner Bros. will be at the helm. The biggest question is, who will they cast for the new Miriam and Sarah? Picking the right actresses for the roles could make the vital difference between a cheesy, failed remake and a new cult classic in the making.