Tag: blumhouse
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Jamie Foxx to Star in ‘Spawn’ Horror Reboot From Blumhouse
A comic character with one of the most twisted back stories imaginable is coming back to the big screen, this time with a mega star attached to tell his (mostly silent) tale.
Deadline reports that Jamie Foxx has signed on to star as the titular hero of “Spawn,” based on the comic series by Todd McFarlane. McFarlane is adapting his own work for the big screen, and will also direct the feature.
According to the creator, this version of “Spawn” (which previously inspired both an animated movie and a 1997 live-action feature) won’t be a traditional origin story — and it won’t feature a traditional protagonist, either. In an interview with Deadline, McFarlane explained that he doesn’t want the character to speak much, citing influences like “Jaws” and “The Ring” in which “the boogeyman doesn’t talk.”
“This is not a man in a rubber suit, it’s not a hero that’s going to come and save the damsel. It’s none of that,” the director told Deadline. “At the end of the movie, I’m hoping that the audience will say either, is this a ghost that turns into a man, or is it a man that turns into a ghost?”
That question sums of the essence of the character. Here’s some background on Spawn, per Deadline:
Foxx will play the character who started out in the comics as Al Simmons, a member of a CIA black ops team who is betrayed twice. After being set up by his cohorts to be murdered with his corpse set aflame, Newman is double crossed in Hell. He is convinced to become a Hellspawn warrior in exchange for being able to be reunited with his wife. But Spawn finds himself stuck in a demonic creature shell, and that his wife moved on and married his best friend. So this is one pissed-off antihero who attends to dispatching the scum of the city in good and evil battles that encompass Earth, Heaven and Hell.
That’s some pretty dark stuff, and as such, McFarlane is envisioning an R rating for the flick, which he hopes will launch a trilogy. He’s working with the folks at Blumhouse, no strangers to telling horrifying stories.
According to the writer-director, Foxx was his first choice for the role, after speaking with the Oscar winner five years ago about a potential “Spawn” project. In a statement, the actor expressed his excitement to get to work on the project:
A few years back I flew out to Arizona to meet the man behind one of the most incredible comic book characters in the universe… Todd McFarlane. He was taken aback when I told him with the enthusiasm of a young child that more than anything I wanted to put my name in the hat to embody his beloved character Spawn…. I told him no one would work harder than me if given the opportunity… well… the opportunity is here!! I’m humbled and ready to transform… and to top things off the young Jason Blum is lending his brilliance to the project! Time to be great!!!!
No word yet on when production is set to begin. Stay tuned.
[via: Deadline]
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‘Happy Death Day 2’ Starts Production Next Week, With 2 Additional Stars
“Happy Death Day” KILLED at the box office last October, so it’s no surprise that a sequel is happening. And it’s happening fast — according to Deadline, production is starting May 10.There’s no premiere date at this point, but Deadline added details on two new cast members:
- Actor Suraj Sharma (“Homeland”) will play Samar Ghosh, “a science enthusiast and geek who enjoys coding in his spare time.”
- Actress Sarah Yarkin (“Foursome”) will play Dre Morgan, “a science geek and tom-boy with a sleepy feline gaze who is Samar’s partner-in-crime.”
Original cast members Jessica Rothe (Tree Gelbman) and Israel Broussard (Carter Davis) are also returning. The first film followed Tree’s “Groundhog Day” style murder on her own birthday. Christopher Landon directed the first film, and he’ll be back for the sequel.
Landon was already talking about plans for a sequel back in October; here’s what he told Insider:
“The whole idea for my sequel is actually already in this movie. It’s hiding in plain sight. The answer to why she’s literally stuck in a time loop — it’s something I have the answer to. It’s in my back pocket, because, knock on wood, you never know how things are going to go, and we’re not counting our chickens, but if I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to make a sequel, the answer to that question is the premise of my sequel.”
Jessica Rothe talked to Collider about Chris Landon’s sequel pitch in January:
“I like it because a lot of times with horror movies, if there’s a sequel, it’s almost a repeat, with different actors and slightly different storylines, but it worked, so you do the same thing again. Chris has done this incredible thing where the sequel, the way he described it to me, elevates the movie from being a horror movie – and I wouldn’t even say it’s just a horror movie because it’s a horror, comedy, rom-com drama – into a Back to the Future type of genre film where the sequel joins us right from where we left off, it explains a lot of things in the first one that didn’t get explained, and it elevates everything. I was really pleased to know that we weren’t just gonna be pushing all the buttons that people loved the first time, over and over again, ’cause I think that gets old. I’m really excited to see if it comes to fruition and, if it does, what the final product looks like. I hope we get to do it! I had a ball!”
You get to do it! Congrats on possibly dying many more times.
“Happy Death Day” was a surprise hit, making more than $122 million around the world off a budget of less than $5 million. Blumhouse Productions has had great success with that low-budget model, including “Paranormal Activity,” “Get Out,” “Insidious,” “The Purge,” and “Split,” plus sequels.
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A Third ‘Conjuring’ Film Is Coming in 2019
We’re getting another “Conjuring” film next year, we’re just not sure which one.Warner Bros. announced today that the company will release an untitled Conjuring universe film on July 3, 2019. It could be either “The Conjuring 3” or the spin-off “The Crooked Man” (featuring the creepy character first seen in “The Conjuring 2“).
Next up in the adventures of occult investigators and Ed and Lorraine Warren (played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) is “The Nun.” Corin Hardy (“The Hallow”) directs the spinoff about the Marilyn Manson-esque nun that haunts Lorraine Warren in “The Conjuring 2.” That’s in theaters September 7.
So which film is closer to being a reality? “Conjuring 3” or “The Crooked Man”? Hard to say.
“We’ve been working hard on Conjuring 3,” James Wan, who also directed the first “Conjuring” film, told EW last year. “We want to make sure that the script is in a really good place. With how much people have loved the first two ‘Conjuring’ [films], I don’t want to rush in to the third one if possible.”
As for “The Crooked Man,” Wan said, “We think we have a really exciting story. What we want to do, with The Conjuring universe, is we want each of our little offshoots to have a very different flavor. So, for example, ‘Annabelle‘ is the classic sort-of haunted doll subgenre. And with ‘The Crooked Man,’ I would love to push it more down somewhat of that dark fairy tale, and more whimsical, subgenre. I love the idea that, within the Conjuring universe, each of our little movies all have their own flavor, so that way they don’t feel like they’re the same films.”
[Via EW]
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Box Office: ‘Rampage’ Barely Beats ‘A Quiet Place’
After much nail biting and hand wringing, it looks like “Rampage,” Dwayne Johnson‘s destruction-filled adaptation of the classic arcade game, won the box office race with $34.5 million. For a while it looked like John Krasinski‘s horror tale “A Quiet Place” would take the top spot (especially given the inherent spookiness of a Friday the 13th weekend), but that ended up at #2 with $32.6 million, which is still admirably impressive (it’s down just 35% from last weekend) and puts it just below the vaulted $100 million mark. (Unlike the $120 million+ “Rampage,” “A Quiet Place” had a modest budget of just $17 million.)
Elsewhere, newcomer “Truth or Dare” from Universal and horror hitmaker Blumhouse, surprised by over-performing with $19 million, enough to put it in the #3 spot, ahead of Steven Spielberg‘s whirligig “Ready Player One,” which in its third week remains in the top 5 with $11.2 million. So far, Spielberg’s nostalgia-filled joyride has collected just north of $114.6 million, which is great but not terrific considering its steep $175 million production costs (and that’s before you consider what Warner Bros. spent marketing the movie).
Universal’s R-rated comedy “Blockers” rounded out the top 5 with $10.3 million, bringing its total to $36.9 million. It also is worth nothing that Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther” was #6 despite a big push earlier in the week to announce the movie’s home video release in May. Disney is telling people “it’s coming to your living room” and they’re still rushing out to the theaters to see it (it’s down just 39% from the week before). That’s truly incredible. Also incredible: its $673.7 million domestic haul. Way to go Wakanda.
What did you watch this weekend? Let us know!
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‘Truth or Dare’ Unscripted with Lucy Hale and Tyler Posey
Fundamentally speaking, Moviefone’s signature series “Unscripted” is extremely similar to the classic game “Truth or Dare.” There’s always a lot of questions and you never know what’s going to happen!
Lucy Hale and Tyler Posey, stars of the upcoming Blumhouse horror film “Truth or Dare,” were more than game for the challenge of answering questions from fans (while thinking of a few of their own) and weren’t afraid to get a little scary along the way. Topics discussed include near-death motorcycle crashes, the art of shooting scary scenes, and working with famed horror auteurs Blumhouse Productions.
“Truth or Dare,” directed by Jeff Wadlow and starring Lucy Hale, Tyler Posey, Violett Beane, Hayden Szeto, Landon Liboiron,Sophia Ali, Nolan Gerard Funk, and Sam Lerner opens in theaters everywhere Friday, April 13th.
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Damon Lindelof Set to Make Action Thriller With ‘Get Out’ Producer
Former “Lost” co-showrunner Damon Lindelof is teaming up with Jason Blum’s Blumhouse Productions, the company behind “Get Out,” for a political action thriller titled “The Hunt.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lindelof has co-written a script with Nick Cuse, the son of his fellow “Lost” showrunner Carlton Cuse. Craig Zobel (“Z for Zachariah”) will direct and Blumhouse and Universal won the bidding war for the project.
Lindelof, Cuse, and Zobel are former collaborators on HBO’s “The Leftovers.” Lindelof created the show, Nick Cuse eventually became a writer on staff, and Zobel directed several episodes.
An insider told THR that “The Hunt” “takes its cues from the current political climate in America and aggressive nature of right versus the left — taking it to a more extreme, and violent, level.”
Taking cues from the current political climate is right in Blumhouse’s wheelhouse, as that kind of storytelling propelled “Get Out” to an Oscar nomination and a screenplay win for writer/director Jordan Peele. The production company is also known for taking low-budget films and turning them into box office successes.
Lindelof has mostly focused on television in the last few years, but he has many feature screenwriting credits including “World War Z” and “Prometheus.”
He’s also working on a “Watchmen” adaptation for HBO.
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Here’s How ‘Happy Death Day’ Became a Shocking Horror Smash at the Box Office
In this week’s episode of “Why Are We Surprised? (Box Office Edition),” Hollywood is marveling that “Happy Death Day,” a tiny-budgeted, star-free horror movie, debuted at No. 1 with an estimated $26.5 million, well above expectations.
Meanwhile, “Blade Runner 2049,” the expensive, star-driven, effects-heavy sequel that terrified Hollywood last week by opening at around half the amount pundits predicted, predictably lost half its audience this weekend, slipping to second place with an estimated $15.1 million. “The Foreigner,” starring international action-movie icon Jackie Chan, settled for a third-place premiere with an estimated $12.8 million. And “Marshall” and “Professor Marston & the Wonder Women,” two grown-up dramas of the type that are supposed to prosper during the awards-hopeful autumn season, opened in hundreds of theaters each but still couldn’t draw enough viewers to break into the top 10.
Few expected “Happy Death Day” to open higher than $18 million. So, lesson one for this weekend is that the conventional wisdom among Hollywood experts is often wrong. Here are some other lessons from this weekend’s results.
1. Never Count Blumhouse Out
Everyone’s supposedly tired of watching sequels and reboots, yet Hollywood keeps complaining that no one knows how to make money anymore with original screenplays. But that complaint ignores the successes of Blumhouse, the production company that’s done consistently well in recent years with horror movies that keep the budgets low, the concepts high, and that clearly know what their target audience wants. Sure, they’ve done well with franchises, too (including “Insidious” and “The Purge“), but this year, they’ve had enormous original hits with such inventive and surprising horror tales as “Split” and “Get Out.” Both of those opened above $33 million, so it’s not clear why pundits expected “Happy Death Day” to debut with little more than half that amount. Perhaps they were thinking back to the more unproven “The Belko Experiment,” which was released this past spring against Disney’s flashy “Beauty and the Beast” reboot and opened to just $4 million.
2. No Stars Needed
Part of Blumhouse’s success in keeping budgets low has been generally avoiding big-name actors. (There are none in “Happy Death Day,” which cost less than $5 million to make.) After all, people don’t go to these movies to see stars, they go because they like the premise. (In this case, a horror take on “Groundhog Day,” where the heroine relives the day of her murder over and over.) Plus, casting unknowns instead of stars with established personas makes it easier to surprise viewers with twisty character arcs.
3. Divide and Conquer
Last week, “Blade Runner” seemed to prove the folly of making a movie that appealed to only one quadrant of the mass audience — in this case, men over 25. But you can have a one-quadrant hit, as long as you draw enough of that quadrant. Like most horror movies, “Happy Death Day” appeals primarily to women under 25, and that clearly wasn’t a handicap.
Meanwhile, men over 25 also made up the majority of the audience for Chan’s “Foreigner,” which is essentially a Liam Neeson-style revenge thriller, marketed as perhaps the first time that the 63-year-old Chan really seems to act his age. (Indeed, Chan claimed he spent hours in the make-up chair each day being made to look older.) Between “Foreigner” and “Blade Runner,” the older-male quadrant was well taken-care-of, making “Happy Death Day” look like smartly-timed counter-programming.
4. Social Media Matters
Chan may be your dad’s martial-arts hero, but his social media game is strong. According to online buzz tracker RelishMix, the action legend has a combined 65 million followers on various social media platforms.
Then again, “Happy Death Day” also did well promoting itself online. It helped that its trailer was attached to screenings of “13 Reasons Why” star Dylan Minnette, whose journey through the maze became a viral video. They were smartly able to grab that young female demographic, using an actor who wasn’t even in the movie.
5. Who Needs Rotten Tomatoes?
Hollywood has been complaining for months that Rotten Tomatoes is ruining the business; even Martin Scorsese, whose movies usually do well on the aggregated-review site, weighed in with a gripe this week. But RT’s ability to kill a movie with weak reviews is overrated, as is apparent from the modest scores it gave “Happy Death Day” (64 percent fresh) and “Foreigner” (57 percent).
By the same token, high RT scores clearly don’t help, as evidenced by “Blade Runner” (89 percent) and this week’s new semi-wide releases, “Marshall” and “Professor Marston & the Wonder Women” (both 87 percent). These films were all made with older audiences in mind, the kind who still read reviews, and yet critical raves weren’t enough to draw people who weren’t that interested in the stories these movies were telling in the first place. Hollywood needs to recognize that a thumbs up/thumbs down from RT is less important than a movie’s premise and execution. Viewers didn’t care about a case Thurgood Marshall defended before he was famous. And despite “Wonder Woman” being one of the biggest hits of recent years, viewers didn’t care about the story that inspired the DC superheroine’s creation — especially since, as even the rave reviews point out, “Marston”‘s depiction isn’t all that sexy.
6. It’s October
As this column has been noting for weeks, the box office is in the depths of a slump caused primarily by a drought of movies compelling enough to lure potential ticket buyers out of their living rooms. The current month is on track to be the lowest-grossing October in a decade. The weekend’s total take of almost $99 million makes it the fifth lowest-grossing weekend of 2017 so far. For the year to date, total receipts are about 5 percent behind where they at this time in 2016.
About the only thing that has lured couch potatoes away from their home theater systems in recent weeks has been horror, particularly “IT.” So it makes sense that moviegoers would flock to a well-executed horror movie, especially one that opens on Friday the 13th, a couple weeks before Halloween. Then again, if you want to see real terror, watch Hollywood’s accountants as they look over the rest of this year’s slate of releases and contemplate the prospect of falling behind 2016’s domestic total by about $1 billion.
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‘Get Out’ Director Jordan Peele on His Influences and Where He Goes From Here
If you’ve ever watched “Key and Peele,” then you know that Jordan Peele is a genius. But until you see “Get Out,” the scary-funny horror gem that Peele wrote and directed (in theaters this Friday), you have no idea how much of a genius he really is. The movie, about a young black man (Daniel Kaluuya) who travels with his girlfriend (Allison Williams) to her predominantly white neighborhood and uncovers something altogether unpleasant going on, that will scare you one minute and have you howling with laughter the next.
It was enough to make us wonder what inspired the movie, which is exactly what we asked Peele at a recent press day for the film. He filled us in on all of the movies that proved essential references for “Get Out” and talked about his future in the horror genre.
“Get Out” is out this Friday.
