First classic novels like “Wuthering Heights” and “Pride and Prejudice” got “Twilight”-inspired covers. Now, a popular fairy tale is about to get a supernatural romance makeover. I sure don’t remember the tale of Little Red Riding Hood looking like this when I was little.
Catherine Hardwicke, the director of the first “Twilight” film, helms “Red Riding Hood,” a gothic re-imagining of the fairy tale that looks like it hopes to draw the same crowd that has made “Twilight” and “True Blood” such a success. Amanda Seyfried stars as Valerie, a young woman who falls in love with a man her parents don’t approve of (Shiloh Fernandez). They have arranged for her to marry a wealthy man (Max Irons) they find more suitable, but she carries on an affair with the rebellious Peter.
But their love triangle becomes more complicated by the presence of a werewolf that kills Valerie’s sister. The village calls on werewolf hunter Father Solomon (Gary Oldman) to kill the beast. But he informs them that during the day, the wolf takes human form, so it could be any one of the villagers – perhaps even Valerie or Peter themselves.
Produced by Leonardo DiCaprio of all people, “Red Riding Hood” looks like the only thing it has in common with the original story is Valerie’s red cloak. With a team like DiCaprio and Hardwicke and a cast like Seyfried, Oldman, Julie Christie, Virginia Madsen and Billy Burke, I’m hoping the actual movie is better than the trailer. The synopsis makes it sound like an interesting take on a classic story, but it’s being marketed as a tired attempt at capitalizing on the popularity of “Twilight.”
“Red Riding Hood” opens March 11.
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I’ll just watch “Company of Wolves” again.
I like when a studio takes a classic tale and twists it on its side ands makes it darker!
Then you’ll like Snow White & the Huntsman. The script is impressive. I liked it much morethan Red Riding Hood.