With Halloween just hours away, Shockya.com brings you a holiday-themed Movie News Cheat Sheet!
We’ve got all the hottest horror stories including the very first images from Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie as well as a trio of creepy trailers. On the development side, there’s quite a bit in the works including New Line’s latest acquisition, the found footage film Category Six, as well as updates on Jurassic Park 4 and Beetlejuice 2.
Sure, heading off to school or work in your Halloween best is a great way to celebrate the holiday, but why not let the festivities creep into your workplace banter, too? Check out all the need-to-know spooky news from the film industry in this week’s Halloween Movie News Cheat Sheet.
1. New Line Takes Category Six: We’ve seen our fair share of found footage films, but there’s a reason they keep on coming; they’re compelling. There’s something instantly engaging about a film that presents a predicament – usually a horrific one – from a first hand perspective. However, New Line Cinema’s latest acquisition isn’t just more of the same; Category Six comes with a newfound footage subject – a tornado. Through a deal worth about $300,000, New Line secured the John Swetnam script, a piece that uses video cameras and cell phones to show what happens when a group of high school kids encounter the worst tornado in US history. (via Deadline)
2. Death on the Set of Expendables 2: Now here’s a story that’s truly terrifying, because it’s real. While filming in Bulgaria a stuntman passed away on the set of Expendables 2. The second unit was busy working on a scene when a stunt-gone-wrong, an explosion, injured one stuntman and killed another. An official statement from Nu Image/Millennium Films confirmed the news and stated, “Our hearts go out to the families and those on the production affected by this tragedy. The filmmakers are working closely with the authorities in responding to and investigating this accident.” Director Simon West was not on the set at the time of the accident as he was working with his main unit on a moment that takes place in a resort village about two and a half hours away. (via Deadline)
3. No More Pride and Prejudice and Zombies for Craig Gillespie: First David O. Russell came and went, then Mike White and now Craig Gillespie is the latest to join and then abandon the crew of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. According to Deadline, Gillespie didn’t leave on bad terms, but his departure did have something to do with creative issues, like who’s cast in the film. The Seth Grahame-Smith adaptation is still very much alive over at Lionsgate, but now, as suggested by Deadline, the studio most certainly will be on the hunt for a new director and perhaps one from an agency that comes packaged with a cast.
4. Meet Tim Burton’s New Frankenweenie: Tim Burton’s feature length Frankenweenie is coming to life and EW.com has the proof. The outlet was treated to a first look at Burton’s stop-motion animation production, a remake of his 1984 short that honored Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, but lost him his job as a Walt Disney Co. artist. Of the incident, Burton recalls, “I don’t know, they got freaked out or something, but they still allowed me to make the film.” In an attempt at making the new Frankenweenie kid-friendly, Burton addresses the original core concept, a child loses his pet and brings him back to life, but, “Ultimately, we try to go with the slightly more positive aspects of keeping that [boy-and-his-dog] relationship going.” As for the images, in true Burton style, they’re rather gothic in nature, but, also boast a dog that’s pretty cute, somewhat reminiscent of The Nightmare Before Christmas’ Zero.
5. Beetlejuice 2 Still a Possibility: Just about a month ago, word got out that David Katzen¬berg with Seth Grahame-Smith, or KatzSmith Productions, have teamed with Warner Bros. to bring back Tim Burton’s 1988 film Beetlejuice. In true industry fashion, the plan was met with a great deal of skepticism as what’s the point of getting psyched for a sequel when there’s no guarantee it’ll move past development? While the production is still no closer to a green light, Katzenberg and Grahame-Smith are out and about talking about their effort and at least seem to have a sensible plan in mind. Katzenberg explained, “We’re not remaking Beetlejuice. People have been very angry about that.” Grahame-Smith added, “When Warner Bros. came to us about it, we said the only way we’d do it if we got Tim [Burton’s] blessing and involvement, and we got that, and the star of the movie has to be Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice, and it’s a true continuation 26 years later.” Should Beetlejuice 2 ever really happen, this is most certainly the film I’d like to see. (via EW.com)
6. Jurassic Park 4 Screenplay in the Works: How many times have we recycled that or a somewhat similar headline over the years? Rumors about Jurassic Park 4 have been around ever since the franchise’s third installment arrived, but now, more than ever, Steven Spielberg seems determined to turn it into a reality. Spielberg told Empire, “The screenplay is being written right now by Mark Protosevich. I’m hoping that will come out in the next couple of years. We have a good story. We have a better story for four than we had for three …” No, this most certainly isn’t a call for celebration – for the folks who actually want another Jurassic Park film at least – but it is a sign that Spielberg is taking the idea of bringing the franchise back as seriously as ever. If only he’d said the story is better than three and the second half of two.
7. Warm Bodies Set To Arrive In August: Mark your calendars because Warm Bodies is coming! Not familiar with the book-to-film adaptation? You’ve got until August 10th, 2012 to check out the Isaac Marion novel. It focuses on a zombie named R, to be played by Nicholas Hoult, who maintains a shred of humanity despite his decaying exterior. When he comes across a living girl named Julie (Teresa Palmer), his human tendencies ignite and attempt to break through the infection and bring speech and emotion back into R’s life. In an industry overrun with supernatural creatures, this is really a project that’s worth keeping an eye on as it actually has a fresh prospective to offer. Then, with Jonathan Levine behind the lens, there’s a good shot we could wind up with something that’s quite gritty and actually feels authentic rather than just getting another over-glorified portrayal of broody creatures of the dark. (via Box Office Mojo)
8. The Hunger Games Gets Character Posters: Come on; tons of people will be dressing up as Katniss and Peeta for Halloween! Okay, maybe it’s a bit of a stretch for this holiday-themed Cheat Sheet, but how could the brand new Hunger Games posters not make the list? Lionsgate revealed not one, but eight brand spanking new character posters. Of course we’ve got our leading trio – Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence), Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and Gale (Liam Hemsworth) – but then we also get our very first looks at Alexander Ludwig’s Cato, Amandla Stenberg’s Rue, Elizabeth Banks’ Effie, Woody Harrelson’s Haymitch and Lenny Kravitz’s Cinna. Not only is it a thrill to the characters of Suzanne Collins’ book finally coming to life, but these designs a pretty darn sleek. The photographs themselves are gorgeous, highlighting some of the characters’ most noteworthy features while still offering an image that’s simply visually appealing. Yet another step in the right direction for Lionsgate.
9. Trailers: The Innkeepers, ParaNorman, The Levenger Tapes: After the demonic haunted house film The House of the Devil, Ti West is back with yet another house-based creeper. The Innkeepers stars Sara Paxton as Claire, an employee of The Yankee Pedlar out to find proof that the hotel is indeed haunted. On the lighter side, the first teaser trailer for Focus Features’ kid-friendly animated feature ParaNorman has arrived and it boasts some beautifully detailed imagery backed by Donovan’s tune, “Season of the Witch.” Last up is the trailer for Mark Edwin Robinson’s found footage nightmare, The Levenger Tapes. The piece focuses on a team of detectives sorting through material recorded by three missing college students who came across the bloodied dress of an 8-year-old girl and take it upon themselves to find her.
10. Box Office: The numbers are in and while they’re not all that bad, they are considerably lower than predicted, nearly across the board. Puss in Boots came out on top with $34 million while Paranormal Activity 3’s earnings were slashed significantly, the film taking just $18.5 million after a $52.6 million start. Newcomer In Time snagged the third position with about $12 million while The Rum Diary had a dismal debut, only earning about $5 million and losing the fourth position to third-weeker Footloose. (via ComingSoon)
