Jude Law in Venice with co-star Michael Caine who returns in Sleuth 35 years on

Now Jude Law plays the younger man and Caine has stepped into Olivier's shoes in a remake unveiled at the Venice Film Festival.

The actors arrived at the festival for the premiere of the new version with Sir Kenneth Branagh who directed it.

The project was the brainchild of Law who first approached Sir Michael, now 74, about the idea several years ago. But the whole film has been radically reworked.

Harold Pinter has written the new script whereas the original movie was based on Anthony Shaffer's award-winning play.

In that, Caine played a hairdresser, Milo Tindle, having an affair with the wife of a wealthy writer played by Laurence Olivier.

The writer, Andrew Wyke, invites the young man to his country home and draws him into a deadly game of wits.

The new version has Tindle as a struggling actor.

Caine has seen a number of his classic movies, including Get Carter and The Italian Job, re-made with varying degrees of success.

Law himself played the part created by Caine in Alfie.

Sir Michael said of Sleuth: "I was fascinated by the whole idea from the start, but especially when I saw the Pinter script. Pinter's writing is completely different from Anthony Shaffer's. It's not the same movie."

Law, 35, said Caine performing Pinter was "a match made in heaven".

The film is one of four British films in a list of 22 contending for the prestigious Golden Lion top prize at the festival.

Branagh has said: "When Jude Law sent me Harold Pinter's screenplay and I knew that both Jude Law and Michael Caine wanted to be in it, it was the easiest decision I've ever made."

Pinter has described his version as a "totally new take".

"I've kept one or two plot things but apart from that, I think I've made it my own," he said.