Vertigo’ remake in the works at Paramount, Robert Downey Jr eying lead role

Los Angeles, Mar 24 (PTI) Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 classic “Vertigo” is getting a remake with Hollywood star Robert Downey Jr circling the lead role.

According to entertainment news outlet Deadline, studio Paramount Pictures has acquired the rights for the remake, which would be produced by Downey Jr and his wife Susan Downey through their banner Team Downey.

“Peaky Blinders” creator Steven Knight will pen the script for the project.

The original psychological thriller starred Jimmy Stewart as John “Scottie” Ferguson, a police detective who has retired because an incident in the line of duty has caused him to develop acrophobia (an extreme fear of heights) and vertigo, a false sense of rotational movement.

Scottie is hired by an acquaintance, Gavin Elster, as a private investigator to follow Gavin’s wife Madeleine (Kim Novak), who is behaving strangely.

The remake will also be produced by John Davis and John Fox via Davis Entertainment.

Downey Jr, best known for his stint as Tony Stark aka Iron Man in many Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies, will next feature in filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer”.

Knight was hired to write an untitled “Star Wars” movie for Lucasfilm
earlier this week. The British screenwriter earlier wrote the scripts for David Cronenberg’s “Eastern Promises”, Brad Pitt-starrer “Allied” and “Spencer”, which featured Kristen Stewart as the late Princess Diana.