Anxiety-inducing 00s thriller is finally getting a remake – with a twist-Alicia Adejobi-Entertainment – Metro

Panic Room is one of the most tense 00s thrillers (Picture: Rex Features)

One of the best thrillers of the 2000s is finally getting a long-awaited remake – but the new version of Panic Room will look a lot different to the original. 

Starring Jodie Foster and a very young Kristen Stewart, 2002’s Panic Room followed a mother and her daughter’s fight for survival after intruders break into their home. They initially think they’re safe in their brownstone’s state-of-the-art panic room, only to realise that the very thing the intruders want is inside their safe space. 

The thriller opened to glowing reviews and is widely regarded as one of director David Fincher’s best works, currently sitting at 76% on Rotten Tomatoes. 

It has now been confirmed that a Brazilian adaptation is now in pre-production as the first TV film under Sony Pictures Television-owned Brazilian production company Floresta, according to Variety. 

The remake will put a fresh spin on the iconic thriller with Brazilian actress Isis Valverde in the lead role and director Gabriela Amaral helming the project. 

Confirming her casting, Valverde said in a statement: ‘2024 has been a challenging yet generous year for me, full of possibilities, plans, and projects finally getting off the drawing board. 

Jodie Foster starred in the lead role alongside a very young Kristen Stewart (Picture: Rex Features)

Jared Leto (and his cornrows) played one of the intruders alongside Forest Whitaker (Picture: Rex Features)

‘Ending this year with such great news is incredible. Being chosen to play this role is an honour, as is sharing the set with Gabriela Amaral, a truly unique director and a wonderful team. I hope to deliver a performance full of colours that overflows the screen.’ 

The adaptation is expected to introduce new ethical dilemmas in keeping with modern society while also staying true to the intensity of the original. 

So far, the new premise seems to largely follow Fincher’s masterpiece but the TV film will feature a recently widowed woman, not a divorcee like the 2002 release. 

Teasing the adaptation, Floresta Artistic Director of Fiction, Thiago Teitelroit said: ‘Besides an extremely current plot, we developed an electrifying thriller that also brings an important ethical discussion. 

‘The story, an IP of Sony, aligned with what we were looking for: a product that allows great performances from the cast and direction in a narrative capable of appealing to a wide audience.’ 

Isis Valverde has been cast in the Brazilian adaptation (Picture: Rex Features)

Director Gabriela Amaral Almeida (L) will direct the TV film (Picture: Getty Images)

In an interview with the BBC at the time of release, Foster laughed at the idea of having a panic room in real life, although it’s a wonder if her feelings have changed over the last two decades. 

When asked if she has one, the actress said: ‘No, I think it’s a very bad idea! I think the movie says that! A panic room this decked out is not that common – they’re pretty rare. However, if you do get an alarm system, the first thing a technician does when he comes in is designate a panic room – it’s usually a closet. You have a phoneline that connects to the alarm company or the police department, so if your phones are cut, this one is live.’ 

Panic Room also introduced the wider audience to Twilight star Stewart, who was around 12 years old at the time in her third movie role. 

Nicole Kidman was originally cast in the lead role of the mother but had to drop out before being replaced by Foster. In a 2022 interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Stewart revealed she had rehearsed for weeks with Kidman until she bowed out of production. 

Panic Room is available to watch for free on Tubi in the UK.

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