I’ve frequently thought about The Key Man, a thriller that Brian De Palma signed on to direct back in August, for the past two weeks. This is a film that I was excited for it since that initial, late summer announcement, but it’s really been on my mind in the last month of twenty-eleven, as it was supposed to begin shooting before the year’s end. Ironically enough, I pondered what’s (more or less) the exact same scenario regarding Passion when news of The Key Man arrived. I’m noticing a pattern.

But, now — is this it? Is this finally the return of Brian De Palma?

TOH reports that both Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace are in talks to lead Passion, his remake of this year’s French sexual thriller, Love Crime, that will begin filming in Berlin on March 5th. That surely is nifty casting; the issue is if he can get it off the ground, unlike so many other recent projects he’s signed on for. For what it’s worth, though, Saïd Ben Saïd of SBS Productions will be producing the film.

De Palma compared it to his 1980 classic Dressed to Kill this past January, deeming it “a chance to combine eroticism, suspense, mystery and murder into one spell-binding cinematic experience.” The actual film tells “the story of woman who turns murderess when her boss steals her idea” — which means you can expect extremely long takes, extensive nudity, visual homages to Hitchcock, and someone getting stabbed.

It’s noted that The Key Man is still moving along with QED Productions — great news, obviously — but TOH says that he’s “wasting no time” on Passion, and I’m plenty grateful about that. If they do in fact go through with their plans, it looks like the film could hit sometime in mid-to-late 2013. To say that I’m excited is a simplifying it a bit.

Are you also thrilled to hear that De Palma is coming back with McAdams and Rapace in tow?