‘Sleuth’: So many back-and-forth machinations

SIMON HALFON, producer of the remake of the thriller “Sleuth,� insists that star Jude Law isn’t obsessed with roles made famous by Michael Caine -- although it may appear the younger man is moving down the veteran actor’s repertoire.

Three years ago, Law starred in the ill-fated remake of Caine’s “Alfie,� and now he is playing the role Caine originated in the 1972 film version of “Sleuth.�

And the icing on the cake? Caine costars in the new movie, playing the role for which Laurence Olivier won the New York Film Critics best actor honor.

The film, which opens Oct. 12, is directed by Kenneth Branagh and boasts a script by Harold Pinter. The premise is the same: Caine’s mystery novelist, Andrew Wyke, invites his wife’s lover, actor Milo Tindle, to his house for fun and games -- and dangerous repartee.

Still, says Branagh, “it’s a very different version. I think you are in for either a great treat or a huge shock. Pinter has really made it his own in a magical way.�

Halfon is equally pleased with his director. “I didn’t think there was a cinema director who would understand Pinter as well as Ken, given his theater background. Also, I felt that he would really get the performances out of these guys. I felt they would respect him as an actor as well as a director. He had such a passion for it and an excitement.�

-- Susan King