First off, I really fucking hope we’re not going to have to call this year’s annual Saw installment Saw VII 3D because that’s the most goddamn awkward title I’ve seen since Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie. It’s not as much of a mouthful as that one, but still–let’s just call it Saw VII, for Christ’s sake.
Anyway, IMDB has some early casting listings on the film’s page. You have to take any casting news acquired this way with an industrial-sized salt-lick, but the people listed as being in the newest outing all make sense so I wouldn’t be surprised if this actually turns out to be true. If they had a listing that included Gary Oldman amongst the cast, I’d be a lot more dubious. However, according to this list, Tobin Bell, Betsy Russell, Costas Mandylor, and Tanedra Howard are all coming back.
No word on what the story (currently being concocted by screenwriters Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton) might entail, but I’m guessing it will involve complicated traps, loads of flashbacks featuring Tobin Bell saying things like “make your choice”, and a ludicrous ending that sets up a sequel for October of 2011.
Personally, I think Saw VII should find Jigsaw taking on an evil film company that forces a director to make their movie after he’d already signed on to make a competing film instead. Sounds pretty topical to me.
One of the most interesting stories in the past few weeks was Paramount’s announcement that they were hiring Saw VI director Kevin Greutert to helm a sequel to last year’s surprise hit and box office juggernaut, Paranormal Activity. They also announced that the sequel would be ready in time for Halloween and that it would be in direct competition with Lionsgate’s Saw VII. Pretty bold moves on Paramount’s part, and a big loss for the Saw franchise–considering that Greutert’s Saw VI is the best entry since the first sequel.
One couldn’t help but feel Lionsgate could have avoided this by signing Greutert to helm Saw VII–but for some strange reason, they opted for Saw V helmer David Hackl instead (extra funny since Saw V is the worst film in the series). Apparently, someone at Lionsgate/Twisted Pictures has come to their senses and taken this little skirmish to a new level.
According to Deadline, Lionsgate has exercised an option in Greutert’s contract. Doing this means the director will have to leave Paranormal Activity 2 and head back to Toronto to begin prep work on his new project, Saw VII. Hackl, meanwhile, will be reassigned to another Lionsgate project according to the site’s source.
There are two ways to look at this move–either it’s incredibly shrewd on Lionsgate’s part or they’re so terrified of Paranormal Activity kicking the crap out of them at the box office for a second year in a row that they’ve pulled out all the stops to try to prevent it from happening. My money’s on the latter, although I don’t know that this move is enough to make a difference. Greutert made a good Saw movie last year and they still got stomped like a NARC at a biker rally. Bringing him back means we’ll probably get another decent Saw sequel, but I don’t think it guarantees anything in terms of box office. Greutert’s name alone doesn’t put asses in seats, unfortunately.
Looking at it from the shrewd perspective, this does throw a slight monkey wrench into Paramount’s plans. October isn’t that far away and now they’ve got to scramble to land another director and adjust to his vision for Paranormal Activity 2. That’s not an easy feat to pull off, but there is time to do it. If this move causes Paramount to have to delay PA2–giving the Halloween window to Saw VII exclusively–then it’s damn near brilliant on Lionsgate’s part.
Will Paramount respond to this declaration of cinematic war by Lionsgate? If they do, how will they do it? I’ll be honest–I don’t really give a crap about either movie, but watching two large film companies get nasty with each other entertains me greatly. Buckle up, kids–this may be the opening salvo in a very long and contentious battle.
Shock Till You Drop posted a link to a fascinating (well, fascinating if you like horror movies and find the inner workings of the movie business interesting, anyway) blog entry from screenwriter Todd Farmer chronicling how he and partner Patrick Lussier went from the fast-track on Halloween 3D to dead in the water in what seems like an instant. In this lengthy piece, Farmer tells you (mostly) what happened, what they were planning for the film (they wanted Tom Atkins to be in it…how awesome would that have been?), and why the whole thing fell apart.
I won’t spoil the story (it’s well worth reading for yourself), but this should be required reading for anyone wanting to work as a writer and creator in Hollywood. If things like this can happen to Farmer and Lussier (who were coming off their success with the My Bloody Valentine remake) just imagine what they can do to guys who haven’t had anything produced…
Check out the blog posting by clicking here. I’ll tell you that his blog is getting hammered this morning so it might not load right away. Be patient–it’s worth the wait.
Some pretty big news emerged yesterday when Dark Sky Films announced that they’d acquired the rights to Adam Green’s slasher sequel Hatchet 2. That wasn’t the only bombshell, though, as the company then followed that tidbit up with news that they plan to turn Hatchet into a multi-release slasher franchise.
The movie, which is currently filming, sees Danielle Harris taking over the lead role in her quest to end the reign of the murderous Victor Crowley once and for all.
Dark Sky will team up with Ariescope to bring the film to audiences sometime this year. Here’s what Dark Sky’s Executive Vice President Greg Newman had to say about their new acquisition:
“We are thrilled to be a part of the ‘Hatchet’ franchise. In Victor Crowley, Adam Green has developed an enduring character that will continue to wreak havoc for years to come. Green is among the most talented filmmakers working in the genre and most importantly, he listens to his audience and understands how to make films that surpass their very high expectations. HATCHET 2 will deliver the goods.“
Expect more Hatchet news in the coming weeks, and rest assured that there’ll be a lot more Victor Crowley in our future if Green and Dark Sky have their way.
I’m not sure why anyone would feel the urge to make a sequel to one of the worst films in recent history (Uwe Boll’s Alone in the Dark), but that’s exactly what’s happening and I’ve got the trailer to prove it (thanks to the mighty Dread Central).
What’s even more puzzling is why you’d make a sequel to a terrible film that is essentially universally despised, change the actors and story, and yet keep the title. Christian Slater and Tara Reid are gone and the only real tie to the original movie (which was based on a videogame series) is that Edward Carnby is still the main character. If that’s your only real tie to the original series, you’d probably be better off just doing a brand new standalone film. I guess this proves that even bad publicity is better than no publicity at all. I can see no other reason to tie yourself to anything directed by Uwe Boll.
Anyway, I’m probably gonna wind up watching this thing (and hating myself as soon as it starts) because it’s got Bill Moseley, Danny Trejo, and Lance Henriksen in it. Those three guys are cool enough to get me to watch just about anything and I don’t see that changing any time soon. Donald Pleasence had the same affect on me–and while I was burned by many a bad flick with Dr. Loomis skulking around in it, I kept going back for more.
We’ll all find out how bad Alone in the Dark II is when it debuts on DVD this January 26th.
Harold Raimis is at it again–he’s out there stoking the fanboy fires for the long-awaited Ghostbusters 3. This time out, he tells Heeb Magazine that things are looking good for a 2011 release date. I’d like to see a GB3 as much as anyone, but I’ll believe it when I plop my “a lot less fat than it used to be” ass in a theater chair and see the credits roll.
In the piece, Raimis basically recites the same old song and dance we’ve been hearing for the past few years. Ackroyd wrote a script, no one wanted to do it, now there’s an audience for it, we’re going to fuck it up by bringing in a new generation of young Ghostbusters, etc.
The story doesn’t become even remotely newsworthy (my lowered editorial standards for this week excluded, of course) until Raimis says “GB3 is progressing with plans to shoot next summer and release in 2011″.
So, there you have it–start counting down the days until Summer of 2011. Maybe Sigourney Weaver won’t have spoiled the entire fucking movie before that point.
So it’s come to this, has it? News is so fucking slow and boring this week that I’ve now had to resort of posting a story featuring a picture of a goddamn wood cabin in an empty warehouse. You win, week between Christmas and New Years–you’ve officially broken my spirit. Any other week, this thing doesn’t even get a sniff at the front page…
Various sites ran this the other day (back when my will was still strong and I thought “no way am I doing a story on this”) and apparently it’s Victor Crowley’s new cabin from Adam Green’s forthcoming Hatchet 2. I’m taking their word on this, because if you ask me it could be just about anything. I saw it and immediately got excited because I thought it was the new Ingalls’ homestead from that Little House on the Prairie rebooting I’ve been waiting on for the past few years. They need to slap up a mailbox with Crowley’s name on it or something.
Hatchet 2 is due out at some point in 2010. Danielle Harris takes over the lead role and returns to the swamp with the idea she’ll end Crowley’s reign of terror once and for all. Hopefully, any pictures from the production moving forward will be more fucking exciting than this one.
Big news posted earlier this afternoon at Bloody-Disgusting. According to them, Laurence Fishburne is the newest addition to the Predators cast.
No word yet on who Fishburne will be playing, but we can only hope that he gets an opportunity to go all Ike Turner on one of the galaxy’s most feared hunters.
Predators is currently shooting in Austin, Texas with Nimrod Antal directing and Robert Rodriguez producing. The film is slated for a July 2010 release date. Expect more news on this as details come into focus.
As American audiences continue to wait impatiently for Sony to decide when we’ll finally be able to Rec 2, the rest of the world is getting cool trailers and release dates. The film’s set to make its Italian debut sometime soon–as this trailer fully demonstrates. There are no English subtitles, but the language of gore and terror is universal.
Paco Plaza and Jaume Balaguero’s sequel picks up roughly fifteen minutes after the end of the first film. A SWAT team has been dispatched to enter the quarantined building and I don’t think they’re going to like what they find inside…
I’ll bring you the full details on a US release whenever Sony pulls their head of their ass and actually announces it.
Ever since Halloween II disappointed at the box office, we’ve heard reports (many coming from director Rob Zombie himself) of the alternate version Zombie had envisioned for the film. With the flick set to debut on DVD and Blu-ray next month, we’re starting to see footage of some of that “alternate vision”–like this new ending for the film.
I’m not sure what to make of this new clip–I viewed it twice and I still don’t know that it’s any better than what we got in the theatrical version of the film. In fact, I’m starting to think that maybe Zombie’s vision (regardless of what form it takes) of the Halloween universe was just so different from what we’d come to expect that no matter how he cuts the film people will be unhappy with it. I also suspect that at some point in the next decade we’ll see an article arguing that Zombie’s take on the Michael Myers mythos is somehow better than Carpenter’s. It’ll happen–there’ll be some yahoo wannabe academic out there who will make the case no matter how ridiculous it seems.
Anyway, here’s the new ending. Naturally, it contains spoilers. Halloween II lands on DVD and Blu-ray on January 12th.
