There had been rumors that Sam Raimi -- who's on board as a producer -- would helm the remake of Tobe Hooper's 'Poltergeist,' but they didn't come to pass. Gil Kenan, best known for being behind the motion captured 'Monster House' and live-action film 'City of Ember,' just landed the job as the remake's director.

This comes from Deadline Hollywood, and what that suggests is they want to go with an overall lighter tone. 'Monster House' was very much indebted to 'Poltergeist' and Steven Spielberg's gift for mixing the supernatural with suburbia, and though 'City of Ember' is something of a misfire, Kenan's a good choice for the material if they are trying to make a PG or PG-13 horror movie that's family friendly.

This is also one of the rare Steven Spielberg projects that's gotten/been allowed to be remade. The original was co-written by Spielberg, and -- from some reports -- actually directed by him as well. The original is also known as a "haunted" film as co-star Dominique Dunne was murdered by her boyfriend shortly after the film was released, and Heather O'Rourke -- who played Carol Anne again in the film's two sequels -- died of cardiopulmonary arrest at the age of twelve. Hopefully that curse won't transfer over to the remake.

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