Pecking Order

The Birds remake is moving ahead....

Tatiana Siegel and Marc Graser of Variety

Naomi Watts will star and Martin Campbell is in negotiations to direct Universal Pictures's new version of "The Birds."

U is planning a reimagining of Daphne du Maurier's short story, which inspired the 1963 Alfred Hitchcock classic.

Michael Bay, Andrew Form and Brad Fuller will produce through their Platinum Dunes [production company], while Peter Guber and Cathy Schulman are producing for Mandalay Pictures.


U is not looking to rush the pic into production prior to a possible strike.

Stiles White and Juliet Snowden wrote a version of the script that is still being developed. New scribes may be brought aboard.

For the moment, Campbell's and Watts' dance cards are already filled with other projects.

Campbell is attached to Fox's runaway train actioner "Unstoppable" and crime thriller "36" at Paramount. He most recently helmed the latest James Bond installment "Casino Royale."

Watts, who will next be seen in Warner Independent's "Funny Games," is filming "The International" ...

Mandalay's David Zelon and Jonathan Krauss will oversee for Mandalay. Scott Bernstein is overseeing the pic for U.

Ho-hum-I still can't believe this is gonna even happen...Watts and Campbell are talented and all but it's a hard sell when you are comparing them to likes of Tippi Hedren and Alfred Hitchcock...