Paul Haggis in talks to translate Cell 211

Paul Haggis

Oscar-winning Crash writer/director Paul Haggis is being tapped to forge an English-speaking remake of Spanish action flick Celda 211 .

A big hit in its native Spain (it scooped eight Goya Awards, or Spanish Oscars), the 2009 film has been described as a contender for Die Hard ’s action crown.

The premise – new prison guard wakes up inside a prison gripped by a riot, has to survive – certainly chimes with that notion, and the flick’s been praised for cleverly smashing together smart thriller tropes and all-out action.

Haggis has just finished up work on Russell Crowe vehicle The Next Three Days , which itself is a remake of a 2007 French film.

Will he take on another remake? When the material’s as tantalising as Cell 211 , we can’t exactly blame him for being tempted.

Josh Winning has worn a lot of hats over the years. Contributing Editor at Total Film, writer for SFX, and senior film writer at the Radio Times. Josh has also penned a novel about mysteries and monsters, is the co-host of a movie podcast, and has a library of pretty phenomenal stories from visiting some of the biggest TV and film sets in the world. He would also like you to know that he "lives for cat videos..." Don't we all, Josh. Don't we all.