Break Out Your Lead-Lined Underpants! THE MAN WITH X-RAY EYES To Return!

I've been mulling over this bit of news all morning and I think you can now put me in the 'cautiously optimistic' pile: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (28 Weeks Later, Intacto) has just signed a deal with MGM to develop a remake of Roger Corman's X: The Man With X-Ray Eyes. I actually had the chance to catch a screening of the original film on the big screen from a nicely restored print about six months back and it's one odd beast, one that I think Fresnadillo could do interesting things with.

Now, here's why I'm on the positive side with this one. First, Fresnadillo - who is a very talented writer and director - is not being brought in as a hired gun. He's on board right at the beginning and - if I'm reading the trades right - may have actually been the motivating force in all of this. That means we've got a smart, film savvy man pushing the buttons here rather than a focus group in a board room. This is good. Second, for all the potential for lurid exploitation, the original film actually plays very much as a serious minded character study, a surprising choice for a Corman film and one that I think lends itself well to our current oversaturated media culture. It is, after all, the story of a man who see too much.

Now, I'm not a Corman expert by any means so I'd be curious to hear what hardcore fans out there may think about this. And I'm also hankering for some quality Corman recommendations? Any favorites? Where should a relative neophyte like myself start?