Follow me if you can: a Japanese film is being remade for the American market by French filmmakers who have now been left out of reshoots, with an American director taking over. Even more appropriately, the artists behind the original Japanese picture had the same thing happen to them (being left out of reshoots for their own picture) when they tried their hand at American filmmaking. It makes you wonder how Hollywood maintain friendly relations with any country’s artists, doesn’t it?

The movie in question is The Eye, an American remake of a Japanese horror film from the Pang Brothers (The Messengers). The American version stars Jessica Alba as a woman who has an eye transplant and suddenly finds herself able to see into the supernatural world. The film is supposedly directed by David Moreau and Xavier Palud, but Lionsgate just asked for two weeks of reshoots and guess who wasn’t invited? Instead, director Patrick Lussier has taken the helm for two weeks. Just how bad were the original directors that you’d put a movie in the hands of a director who handled a poor modernization of Dracula and a direct to video sequel (White Noise 2: The Light).

The move is slightly appropriate since, as mentioned above, this kind of thing has happened before to some of the same people. The Pang brothers, who created the original Eye, had The Messengers taken away from them in a similar fashion. Considering how disappointing the final result of that picture was, you’d think someone in an office somewhere would know better. Apparently not.

The American version of The Eye is scheduled for a February 1st 2008 theatrical release date – even more proof that nobody should expect much from Alba’s next picture. But I guess that pretty much goes without saying by stating Alba’s in the lead anyway.