Thriller ‘The Loft’ is Back With a New Cast and Same Director

Take five friends, one loft, and a dead woman’s body and you get the next thriller directed by Belgian Erik Van Looy: “The Loft.” The film is set for release in the U.S. on Jan. 23.

A remake of the film of the same name by the same director released in 2008, “The Loft” features an eclectic cast that tells the story of what happens when you take the “fun” aspect in life a little too far, especially when you’re cheating on your spouse.

Five friends work out a plan that consists of them each having a key to a shared loft in the city, which is the destination for the extramarital affairs they choose to keep under wraps. The five friends are played by Wentworth Miller, James Marsden, Karl Urban, Eric Stonestreet, and Matthias Schoenaerts, the latter of which appeared in the same role in the original film. Joining the men are actresses Rhona Mitra, Rachael Taylor, Isabel Lucas, and Margarita Levieva.

The trailer depicts a secret plan gone disastrously wrong, as five friends who agreed on sharing the loft find a dead body in the bed.

When asked to compare and contrast both works of the film, director Looy was pleased to think back. “I remember a really great adventure. Because I had already made the film once, I arrived on the set with a head start. That was handy, as it is hard enough to keep two actors under control and I had five of them. And that means a lot of testosterone and fooling around. The American actors made a habit of looking every morning at how their Flemish predecessors had tackled the scenes. They gave it everything and they loved their roles. There are layers to the characters that you don’t often come across in the American mainstream.”

The original was released in 2008, but not as a wide release. Looy has taken the opportunity to introduce more audiences to Bart De Pauw’s screenplay that had a good run in Belgium. To honor its origin, the film was shot in a studio in Belgium in addition to having sets in New Orleans.

‘The Loft’ will be in theaters Jan. 23.