Daphne du Maurier’s 1938 novel about a young woman who marries a wealthy man whose first wife has died under mysterious circumstances has been adapted numerous times over the last 82 years, but never more famously than in the 1940 version from Alfred Hitchcock. Starring Sir Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine in lead roles, Rebecca netted 11 Oscar nominations and won best picture at the 13th annual Academy Awards. It was the only film ever directed by the master of suspense to receive that top honor.
So perhaps it comes as no surprise that Netflix has deftly tried to avoid comparisons between that bona fide classic and the streaming service’s new version of Rebecca, which arrives on the platform next month. “It’s not, in any sense, a remake of the Hitchcock film, firmly not,” director Ben Wheatley told Empire in a recent interview. “Remaking a film is not that interesting to me, but the original source material is. I watched all the adaptations. It’s important to see what’s gone before, but that’s certainly not the focus.”
Directed by Wheatley, best known previously for violent thrillers like Kill List and Free Fire, the Netflix adaptation of Rebecca stars Lily James as the second Mrs. de Winter (the role Fontaine played in the Hitchcock version) and Armie Hammer as her new husband, Max (using a British accent to fill the shoes made most famous by Olivier). The trailer moves from sun-drenched Monte Carlo to the gothic horror-trappings of de Winter’s home, Manderlay, where housekeeper Mrs. Danvers (Kristin Scott Thomas) skulks in the shadows and makes thinly veiled threats to the new Mrs. The marketing material pointedly makes no reference to Hitchcock.
“I wanted to make something that had more love in it,” Wheatley said about his decision to tackle Rebecca despite the contradictory material previously on his resume. “It’s part of trying to investigate other parts of being human. Rebecca has dark elements, and it has a psychological, haunting story within it, but it’s also about these two people in love. That was the main thing.”
Rebecca is one of a number of high profile potential awards contenders hitting Netflix this year, including but not limited to The Devil All the Time, Mank, and The Trial of the Chicago 7. It’s set for release on October 21. The Hitchcock version, which is not available on streaming services at the moment, can be found on YouTube.
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