Veteran film executive Paul Davidson has acquired the remake rights to “Electric Dreams,” the 1984 film written and produced by Rusty Lemorande.
Davidson — who previously ran The Orchard and IDW Entertainment — struck the deal with Lemorande (“Yentl,” “Caddyshack”), who retained the rights to the film after its release nearly four decades ago. Brian T. Arnold, whose script “In the End” appeared on the 2021 Black List and is being produced by Sister, will pen the new movie.
In a statement, Davidson described the original “Electric Dreams” as “an iconic film that left a deep imprint on me from the first time I saw it.” He adds: “Released in what is clearly one of the best decades for film ever, it remains a classic that feels especially prescient today. Joining forces with Brian and Rusty is immensely exciting.”
Directed by Steve Barron, “Electric Dreams” told the story of Miles (the late Lenny von Dohlen), an architect whose state-of-the-art computer (voiced by Bud Cort) becomes sentient and falls in love with his upstairs girlfriend (Virginia Madsen). With the A.I. love triangle at its center, the film – which also starred Maxwell Caulfield — became a cult classic in the years following its release. Its soundtrack was also popular, featuring original songs from Culture Club, Heaven 17, Jeff Lynne and P.P. Arnold.
Lemorande also shared a statement of support for the remake, which he will executive produce: “I’m glad this project is getting a new life. With all the recent A.I. developments, it’s time it’s remade. Hopefully Edgar will soon become as famous as Hal.”
“I’m so excited to be a part of bringing ‘Electric Dreams’ to our modern age,” added Arnold. “The recent advances in and proliferation of artificial intelligence have made us all rethink our relationship to technology and what it truly means to be human. This project is such a fun opportunity to explore how technology is rapidly changing the way we live, work, create, and even fall in love – which is actually kind of existentially terrifying if you stop and think about it.”
Davidson and Arnold are billed as producers on the upcoming remake. Arnold is repped by John Zaozirny and Kate Sharp at Bellevue Productions; Sheryl Petersen, Adam Perry, and Halle Mariner at IAG; and Joel VanderKloot at VanderKloot Law.
