According to The Hollywood Reporter, James Marsden is headlining Screen Gems remake of the 1971 film Straw Dogs.

Rod Lurie is writing and directing.

The film is a remake of the 1971 thriller that starred Dustin Hoffman. The original revolved around a young American and his English wife who move to rural England and face increasingly vicious local harassment.

In this new film Marsden plays an LA screenwriter who moves with his wife to her hometown in the deep South. Suddenly, tensions develop in their marriage and "old conflicts" start up again with the local residents.

Sam Peckinpah co-wrote and directed the original film. Both the old and new film are based on Gordon Williams' book, "The Siege at Trencher's Farm."