Last year, artist Sturgill Simpson released one of the most robust rock albums of the year with Sound & Fury. Known as a country artist, Simpson defied expectations with exhilarating results. The artist was scheduled to hit the road for his first and possibly last arena tour this summer, but it’s now been rescheduled for the fall due to the coronavirus. In the meantime, maybe Simpson can keep working on his remake of the iconic 80s horror-comedy, An American Werewolf in London.
An American Werewolf in London Remake
Simpson said he’s got a vision for the remake during an interview with Uproxx. Simpson doesn’t do many interviews, but when he does, it’s must-read reading material. In the new Uproxx interview, the piece reveals Simpson is writing a remake of John Landis’ classic werewolf film. Simpson is writing a personal script at the moment, too, but he’s got a “punk-rock, really gritty version” of An American Werewolf in London in mind at the moment:
One of them’s based on my experiences from the Navy. A group of guys that decide to get out during wartime. And the other one is I want to do a reboot of An American Werewolf in London. Like a punk-rock, really gritty version.
A Long-in-the-Works Remake
An American Werewolf in London remake has been in the works for the last few years. Years ago, Landis’ son, Max Landis, was planning on writing and directing the remake. Landis sounds like a monster himself, though, so nobody in their right mind is interested in seeing Max’s version of the horror movie.
Now, Sturgill Simpson’s vision for An American Werewolf in London? Yes, please. The little information there is about Simpson’s remake is a little conflicting, though. In the intro of the piece, it says he’s writing it, while Simpson himself says he “wants to do it.” Let’s hope he’s actually doing it.
Simpson has worked in film before. He was recently terrifying in Queen & Slim, and he had a role in The Hunt. Any fan of the man should be happy to hear he intends on making more movies in his lifetime:
I’m always writing. I wrote a book. I’m working on a couple of scripts. I’ve gotten really into film. Not just acting, but the whole art of it. I think it’s a very powerful medium for storytelling, without as many restrictions as a three-and-a-half minute song. But I definitely wrote a book. Still working on it.
Simpson’s most prominent piece of visual storytelling so far is the anime film he spent a year and a half working on in Japan. It was for his album, Sound & Fury, and it was a mix of Heavy Metal and Japanese anime. It’s almost an hour of trippie visuals and thunderous sounds.
Why We’re Excited
Sturgill Simpson is a great artist. Few artists stay as true to themselves inside and outside of their music as much as that guy does. Who else speaks so ill of their record company? From the sound of it, Elektra Records deserve Simpson’s hot ire. Maybe not hot hire is the right way to put it– but honesty. Publicly and musically, Simpson stays honest. It’s a part of his appeal. Somebody with pure creativity such as himself is the exact type of person who should ever remake a classic movie. There’s no chance he’d do a copy-and-paste remake. He’d write something new and, knowing Simpson, exciting.
A Book From Sturgill Simpson
Also revealed in the Voxx interview, Simpson is working on a book called “A Sailor’s Guide to the Music Industry,” a spin on the title of his dreamy Grammy-nominated country album:
What would you call it? Investigative journalism. It’s called A Sailor’s Guide To The Music Business. I’m going to sit on that a while…. As somebody starting at 35 [in the music industry] and just sort of learning to navigate the waters and all the real ins and outs behind the curtain. The kind of stuff that fans probably deserve to know, but you don’t really want to say while you’re still actively engaged in the business. So, I’m going to save that.
Once Simpson retires or is out of the limelight, he’ll release the book. The artist wants to keep recording and releasing albums, but his tour for Sound & Fury may be his last. At least he’ll go out with a bang touring if it is his first and last arena tour. Speaking as somebody with a ticket to one of his upcoming shows, that new album of his is going to rock crowds and stadiums. The album is a rock fan’s dream.
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