It's true. Kiefer Sutherland has confirmed what many suspected the moment he signed on for Sony's upcoming Flatliners 'remake'. It will actually be a sequel to his original 1990 hit thriller. And he is playing the same character, though that is never specifically stated in the story itself. Instead, it is heavily implied.

Kiefer Sutherland says he will be back to play former medical student Nelson Wright a second time in what will essentially be a Flatliners reboot that turns this cult favorite into a franchise for a new audience. Speaking with Metro, he explained how the movie isn't so quick to reveal itself as taking place in the same universe as the original. But before things get really bad, original audiences will get the gist quite quickly that Nelson is back, tampering with the undead in ways he perhaps shouldn't be.

"I play a professor at the medical university. It is never stated but it will probably be very clearly understood that I'm the same character I was in the original Flatliners but that I have changed my name and I've done some things to move on from the experiments that we were doing in the original film."

The original movie was directed by Joel Schumacher. And it starred some of that era's biggest and brightest stars, with an ensemble that also included Kevin Bacon, William Baldwin, Julia Roberts and Oliver Platt. Kiefer Sutherland will be the only original cast member to step back in to his old shoes. The story revolves around a group of medial students led by Nelson who decide to carry out dangerous experiments to see how close they can come to the afterlife. This results in some very terrifying experiences for all involved. Says Sutherland about the original.

I loved making the first film and when I was asked if I would be interested in taking part in this, it didn't take more than a minute to say yes."

The new cast is said to be more 'diversified'. The ensemble this time out includes James Norton, Ellen Page, Diego Luna, Nina Dobrev, Ellen Page and Kiersey Clemons. The movie is in production this summer. It will be released in theaters next year on August 18, 2017. It's possible that we could see the first trailer this Christmas.