I really, really like Philip Noyce, so I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt regarding his proposed remake of Michael Curtiz's classic CAPTAIN BLOOD. It's a great story, and there's no reason it can't be cleverly updated to take advantage of the current pirate craze.
Still and all... how the hell are you gonna top Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone clanging steel on the beach while the luminous Olivia de Havilland pretends to not be thoroughly aroused? Curtiz was no auteur, but he knew how to slap together a rip-roaring, seafaring adventure; Noyce, on the other hand, excels when there's a political subtext to be teased out. I can see the righteous, revolutionary elements getting emphasized under Noyce's aegis (it's important to note that he hasn't committed to directing just yet), but CAPTAIN BLOOD can't sustain too much weight. It's a swashbuckler. It needs to... swashbuckle.
John Brownlow has been hired to adapt the Rafael Sabatini novel. He previously wrote the uproarious SYLVIA.
Consider this your excuse to catch up with CAPTAIN BLOOD if you've never seen it. Along with being one of the most entertaining films of the '30s, it's also noteworthy as Flynn's debut.
