The film that put Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight) on the map may be getting remade. The original Memento, a man (Guy Pearce) tries to solve the mystery of his wife’s murder, but suffers from acute short-term memory loss. Famously, he tattoos his body in an effort to remember clues. The innovative and oft-copied backwards structure of the film helped make the film a critical and cinephile favorite and an arthouse breakout when it opened in spring 2001.
AMBI Pictures has acquired the rights to Exclusive Media Group’s 400-title film library, which also includes Cruel Intentions, Donnie Darko, and Rush. The $200 million film fund to finance at least 15 movies will see Memento as its initiatory production. AMBI Pictures is a new outlet run by Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi. The original Memento was distributed by Newmarket Films and made $25 million at the domestic box office when it opened in the spring of 2001.
The original film was nominated for two Academy Awards, including Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing. Memento made its first wave while premiering at on the festival circuit in late 2000/early 2001. Christopher Nolan and brother Jonathan won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. Since, of course, Nolan caught the eye of Hollywood and has three Batman films under his belt as well as the Oscar-winning blockbuster Inception (2010) and Interstellar (2014).
Co-founder of AMBI, Monika Bacardi, stated,
Memento is a masterpiece that leaves audiences guessing not just throughout the film, but long after as well, which is a testament to its daring approach. We intend to stay true to Christopher Nolan’s vision and deliver a memorable movie that is every bit as edgy, iconic and award-worthy as the original. It’s a big responsibility to deliver something that lives up to the mastery of the original, but we are extremely excited and motivated to bring this puzzle back to life and back into the minds of moviegoers.
We will stayed tuned to the latest developments on the potential Memento remake.