Though it was producer J.J. Abrams’ name that was bandied about in order to promote last year’s giant monster roller-coaster ride ‘Cloverfield’, it was actually director Matt Reeves in the driving seat, and now he has been tapped to both write and direct the inevitable US remake of ‘Let The Right One In’ which was the surprise horror smash of last year.

From MTV -

“I can understand because of people’s’ love of the [original] film that there’s this cynicism that I’ll come in and trash it,” Reeves told the newspaper. “I have nothing but respect for the film. I’m so drawn to it for personal and not mercenary reasons, my feeling about it is if I didn’t feel a personal connection and feel it could be its own film, I wouldn’t be doing it.”

As for the updated info, the new version is scheduled for a fall 2010 release and will simply be called “Let Me In.” That’s the same shortened title as the American version of John Ajvide Lindqvist’s original novel, which is fitting since Reeves will reportedly be looking at that source material as much as he’ll be looking at the first film for his own adaptation. The writer/director just finished his second draft of the script, and he further revealed that the coming remake would be set in snowy Colorado during the Ronald Reagan era.

In addition to already scouting locations for the film, Reeves has begun working with casting director Avy Kaufman, who is known for discovering young child actors for films such as “The Sixth Sense” and “The Ice Storm.” This is perhaps the most important reveal in the update for us worried fans, as Reeves promised that “Let Me In” will not feature older characters in order to cash in on the success of “Twilight” by incorporating a heavier teenage romance.

As much as I enjoyed ‘Cloverfield’, this interview does little to assuage my fears about this remake. Whenever a beloved film or book is adapted, the writers or directors are always trotted out to talk about how much respect they have for the original material and how they will try to keep the remake true to the original spirit while all the men who really pull the strings can see is dollar signs and ringing cash registers. I have no doubt Reeves is completely sincere in what he says but I don’t know if he has enough pull in Hollywood to actually keep the integrity of the film intact, especially when all the execs will be trying to dumb it down for the broadest possible audience (i.e. the ‘Twilight’ audience). I won’t spoil the plot for anyone who hasn’t seen the original but there are certain scenes that if they make it into the remake I will eat my shoe.