According to Deadline, it seems that Paul Haggis, along with CBS Films, will be remaking one of my favorite prison films, Celda 211 (Cell 211), a Spanish prison drama that won multiple awards at the 2009 Goya Awards in Spain.
This news upsets me because I don’t want to see Hollywood ruin another great film by remaking it. But then again, Paul Haggis is a great director and an even better writer, and he is trying to do both! So right now I’m feeling a bit perplexed with this news because I watched it earlier this year and want people to see the Spanish version before any America version…but that’s just me.
Anyway, Haggis will be producing the movie under his Hwy 61 label in hopes of keeping expectations and the quality of the film high. Paul Haggis has written films like Letters from Iwo Jima and has directed Crash and the upcoming, The Next Three Days, so like I said he has some serious credibility.
Deadline sums up the plot to Daniel Monzon’s film rather well:
A newly hired prison guard wants to make a good impression on his bosses, and he leaves behind his pregnant wife and comes in a day early to get a tour of the facility. When a brutal prison riot breaks out, he is knocked unconscious and when he awakens, the guard is forced to assume the role of a prisoner alongside the most dangerous killers alive. He tries to defuse the uprising and escape before the prisoners realize who he really is.
In case you haven’t seen the film, here is the trailer to give you a bit of insight and to understand the tone and feel of the film.
