The 'Jacob's Ladder' Remake You Forgot Existed Has Been Delayed
I haven't seen the original Jacob's Ladder, but as a long-time listener of the movie podcast How Did This Get Made, I feel like I know everything I need to about it. One of that show's co-hosts, actor Jason Mantzoukas, seems to be constantly wondering if the terrible movies he and fellow hosts watch on the podcast are presenting "Jacob's Ladder scenarios," alluding to the twist ending of the 1990 psychological thriller that starred Tim Robbins.
Now it looks like Mantzoukas may have to start clarifying which version of the movie he's talking about, because a Jacob's Ladder remake is in the works – but a new report says it's been delayed from its planned February 2019 release date.
Bloody-Disgusting says that LD Entertainment has delayed the release of their Jacob's Ladder remake, which is directed by David M. Rosenthal (The Perfect Guy, Netflix's How It Ends) and written by Jeff Buhler, who wrote the 2008 adaptation of Clive Barker's The Midnight Meat Train and the upcoming remake of Stephen King's Pet Semetary. The movie will no longer debut on February 1, 2019, and there's no word yet about when it might be rescheduled.
The original Jacob's Ladder was directed by Adrian Lyne and told the story of a Vietnam veteran who experiences intense hallucinations and tries to get to the bottom of what is happening to him. The movie has a relatively famous ending, but I won't give it away in case you've somehow managed to avoid it. Even if you know how it ends, though, this version probably won't be a carbon copy; a report last year said the producers were looking to make an homage to the original but not a straight copy of it.
Michael Ealy (Underworld: Awakening), Guy Burnet (Ray Donovan), Karla Souza (How to Get Away with Murder), and Nicole Beharie (Sleepy Hollow) star in the remake. I remember watching Buhler's The Midnight Meat Train on a whim when it came out and being ready to laugh at it because of the ridiculous title, but it surprised me by being a pretty solid little horror film. And the writer is certainly saying all the right things about Pet Semetary, so who knows? Maybe he and Sarah Thorp (also a credited screenwriter on this project) have a great take on Jacob's Ladder that will surprise all of the naysayers.
Watch the trailer for the original below: