‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’ filmmakers Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein will make a ‘Venom’ animated movie.
Tom Hardy is aboard to produce.
The movie is at an early stage.
Having managed to get a movie trilogy out of slavering, ravenous Spider-Man character Venom, Sony is looking to keep the franchise alive in the animated realm.
The directors have become an in-demand duo since ‘Bloodlines’ helped to shock the horror movie series back to life with $315 million in box office receipts.
Venom, created by writer Bill Michelinie and artist Todd McFarlane, was famously introduced as a villain in 1988’s ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ No. 300, and quickly became a fan-favorite as well as one of his arch-nemeses. He got his first solo comic in 1993.
Sony produced three ‘Venom’ movies starring Tom Hardy as down-on-his-luck journalist Eddie Brock, who bonds with the symbiote. The eponymous first arrived in 2018, followed by sequels ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’ in 2021 and 2024’s ‘Venom: The Last Dance.’
Hardy is aboard the new movie as a producer alongside live-action team Amy Pascal, Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach, alongside Kelly Marcel, who wrote on all three of the movies and directed ‘The Last Dance.’
There’s no word on a plot for the animated movie at this early stage –– Sony is in the process of opening a writers’ room to develop ideas, run by Lipovsky and Stein.
The pair are also at work with Chris Columbus on a new ‘Gremlins’ movie. They are also developing to direct the original thriller ‘Long Lost’, described as ‘What Lies Beneath’ meets ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ and set up at Universal with Amblin Entertainment producing.
When will the new ‘Venom’ movie be on screens?
Given the development stage, Sony has yet to confirm a release date for the potential movie.
Venom in Columbia Pictures ‘Venom: The Last Dance’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
(L to R) Thomas Haden Church and Tobey Maguire in ‘Spider-Man 3.’ Photo: Sony.
The seemingly invincible Spider-Man goes up against an all-new crop of villains—including the shape-shifting Sandman (Thomas Haden Church). While Spider-Man’s superpowers are altered by an alien organism, his alter ego, Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire), deals with nemesis Eddie Brock (Topher Grace) and also gets caught up in a love triangle.
The film tells the story of a family whose uncle is murdered. The son (Raimi) gets everything because he’s in the will. A detective (Scott Spiegel) is trying to find out who murdered the uncle while avoiding ending up dead as well.
2013’s ‘Oz the Great and Powerful’. Photo: Walt Disney Pictures.
Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus illusionist and con-artist, is whisked from Kansas to the Land of Oz where the inhabitants assume he’s the great wizard of prophecy, there to save Oz from the clutches of evil.
(L to R) Sheree J. Wilson and Brion James in ‘Crimewave’. Photo: Columbia Pictures.
Fed up of his business partner, Ernest Trend (Edward R. Pressman) hires the services of two exterminators. When things go drastically wrong and they murder the wrong man, the race is on to frame an innocent video surveillance man.
Kevin Costner in ‘For Love of the Game’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
A baseball legend (Kevin Costner) almost finished with his distinguished career at the age of forty has one last chance to prove who he is, what he is capable of, and win the heart of the woman (Kelly Preston) he has loved for the past four years.
(L to R) Charlize Theron and Benedict Cumberbatch in ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.’ Photo: Marvel Studios.
Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), with the help of mystical allies both old and new, traverses the mind-bending and dangerous alternate realities of the Multiverse to confront a mysterious new adversary.
Alison Lohman in ‘Drag Me to Hell’. Photo: Universal Pictures .
After denying a woman (Lorna Raver) the extension she needs to keep her home, loan officer Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) sees her once-promising life take a startling turn for the worse. Christine is convinced she’s been cursed by a Gypsy, but her boyfriend (Justin Long) is skeptical. Her only hope seems to lie in a psychic (Dileep Rao) who claims he can help her lift the curse and keep her soul from being dragged straight to hell.
Two colleagues (Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien) become stranded on a deserted island, the only survivors of a plane crash. On the island, they must overcome past grievances and work together to survive, but ultimately, it’s a battle of wills and wits to make it out alive.
Cate Blanchett in ‘The Gift’. Photo: Paramount Classics.
Annie Wilson (Cate Blanchett), young widow and mother of three, makes her living foretelling others’ futures—though her own has become cloudier than even she can see. Threatened by a client’s violent husband and plagued by visions of a missing local woman, Annie finds herself pulled into a thicket of lies and deception in which her extraordinary gift may ultimately get her killed.
(L to R) Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton in ‘A Simple Plan’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Captivated by the lure of sudden wealth, the quiet rural lives of two brothers (Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton) erupt into conflicts of greed, paranoia and distrust when over $4 million in cash is discovered at the remote site of a downed small airplane. Their simple plan to retain the money while avoiding detection opens a Pandora’s box when the fear of getting caught triggers panicked behavior and leads to virulent consequences.
Liam Neeson in ‘Darkman’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Dr. Peyton Westlake (Liam Neeson) is on the verge of realizing a major breakthrough in synthetic skin when his laboratory is destroyed by gangsters. Having been burned beyond recognition and forever altered by an experimental medical procedure, Westlake becomes known as Darkman, assuming alternate identities in his quest for revenge and a new life with a former love (Frances McDormand).
(L to R) Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst in ‘Spider-Man’. Photo: Sony.
After being bitten by a genetically altered spider at Oscorp, nerdy but endearing high school student Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is endowed with amazing powers to become the superhero known as Spider-Man.
Bruce Campbell in ‘Evil Dead II’. Photo: Rosebud Releasing Corporation.
Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) and his girlfriend Linda (Denise Bixler) find a log cabin in the woods with a voice recording from an archeologist who had recorded himself reciting ancient chants from “The Book of the Dead.” As they play the recording an evil power is unleashed taking over Linda’s body.
(L to R) Tobey Maguire and Alfred Molina in ‘Spider-Man 2’. Photo: Sony.
Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is going through a major identity crisis. Burned out from being Spider-Man, he decides to shelve his superhero alter ego, which leaves the city suffering in the wake of carnage left by the evil Doc Ock (Alfred Molina). In the meantime, Parker still can’t act on his feelings for Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), a girl he’s loved since childhood. A certain anger begins to brew in his best friend Harry Osborn (James Franco) as well…
Bruce Campbell in ‘Army of Darkness’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Ash (Bruce Campbell), a handsome, shotgun-toting, chainsaw-armed department store clerk, is time warped backwards into England’s Dark Ages, where he romances a beauty and faces legions of the undead.
Mark Fishbach in ‘Iron Lung.’ Photo: Markiplier Studios.
Preview:
‘Iron Lung’ took second place at the box office this weekend.
The film was self-distributed and funded by YouTube superstar Mark Fischbach.
‘Send Help’ took the top spot.
Submersible-based horror title ‘Iron Lung’ all but sunk the competition this week.
The new movie, financed, self-distributed, co-directed and starring YouTuber Mark “Markiplier” Fischbach scored an impressive second place at this past weekend’s box office.
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With a thrifty reported budget of $3 million, the movie managed second place against ‘Send Help’, the latest effort by an established director (Sam Raimi) with all the might of the Disney marketing machine behind it.
Mark Fishbach in ‘Iron Lung.’ Photo: Markiplier Studios.
‘Iron Lung’ follows a fugitive (Fischbach) in a post-apocalyptic future who, after a world-ending event known as “The Quiet Rapture,” must scavenge natural resources in an ocean of blood.
Even given the impressive start for ‘Iron Lung,’ Raimi’s ‘Send Help’ triumphed, bringing in $19.1 million. But it’s all the more stunning that ‘Iron Lung,’ which relied on grassroots, word-of-mouth marketing, was able to compete at all.
Imagine ‘Cast Away,’ only with a more sympathetic Annie Wilkes from ‘Misery’ as the lead. Now mix that up with a whole lot of ‘Triangle of Sadness’ and, of course, the TV show ‘Survivor,’ and you might come up with Sam Raimi’s new thriller, ‘Send Help.’
Billed as Raimi’s first horror film since 2009’s ‘Drag Me to Hell,’ ‘Send Help’ is more a darkly comic survival thriller in which the two leads deal with their workplace issues while trying to withstand monsoons, wild boar, poison berries, and each other. Their antics are enormously entertaining, and Rachel McAdams in particular throws herself into her role with as much physical gusto and emotional complexity as possible. It might not be an all-out horror movie, but it might just be Raimi’s best all-around feature in a long while.
Linda Liddle works in the strategy and planning department of a consulting firm, where she’s a genius at crunching numbers yet awkward in all kinds of social interactions. Still, she’s due for a promotion – until the president of the company passes away and his arrogant, misogynist, nepo-baby son Bradley (Dylan O’Brien) takes over, giving the job to his frat brother instead.
Nevertheless, Linda, a ‘Survivor’ fan who lives in a small apartment with her pet parrot and a whole bunch of foreshadowing – sorry, we mean books on survival and nature – is invited by Bradley with the rest of the execs to a conference in Bangkok to help close a deal. But the private jet crashes in a vicious storm, leaving Linda and Bradley as the only survivors on an uninhabited island somewhere in the Gulf of Thailand.
With Bradley injured, Linda sets about making it possible for them to stay alive – which is where all her books and ‘Survivor’ knowledge comes into play. Although Bradley begins to recover and assert himself, it soon becomes clear that the tables have turned – Linda is the boss now, with Bradley reliant on her to keep them alive and a reborn Linda thriving in a situation that she’s suddenly not too eager to leave.
‘Send Help’ pulls liberally from the films mentioned above, with the reversal of fortune and power right out of ‘Triangle’ director Ruben Östlund’s playbook and the character dynamics coming from both that and ‘Misery.’ As opposed to that Stephen King–Rob Reiner thriller, however, this film keeps the viewer off-balance for most of the way about Linda’s true mental state even when it veers into darker territory. Speaking of which, the final third of the movie does labor a bit to stay on top of its narrative and character turns, also playing a couple of tricks one too many times, but comes back around with a thoroughly satisfying payoff (including a chilling last line).
As he’s done his whole career, Sam Raimi makes ‘Send Help’ a clever combo of morality play, black comedy, and cartoonish gorefest. The director doles out the blood and the wild camera moves with a lot more restraint than he used to (save for one battle with a wild boar), but they’re just as effective as always, and he even manages to squeeze in one outright ‘The Evil Dead’-type jump scare. This is the director at his most energetic and playful, aided enormously by his two leads.
Rachel McAdams seems like a perennially underrated actress, possibly because she doesn’t work as constantly as other stars, yet her talents are on full display here as Linda Liddle. McAdams positively owns the role, making Linda’s transformation from cast-off office worker to survivalist warrior believable and layered through both her physical commitment and psychological dexterity (even the ill-fitting clothing that she starts off wearing), with Linda remaining sympathetic throughout even as she takes a darker turn toward the end.
Dylan O’Brien may be equally underrated, and while Bradley is perhaps not as layered a character as Linda, he still manages to give this largely despicable and toxic male just enough shading to make him more than a one-dimensional villain (credit too to screenwriters Damian Shannon and Mark Swift for getting some more depth for both onto the page).
And yes, although we missed him ourselves, we’re reliably informed that Bruce Campbell does show up – but you might have to look a little harder to spot him.
For most of its length, Sam Raimi finds the right balance of thrills, humor, violence, and character development in ‘Send Help,’ and both McAdams and O’Brien are game for whatever he and the script hurls at them.
The movie wears its themes on its sleeve, but doesn’t come across as heavy-handed. While not the most original work in Sam Raimi’s filmography, this may be his best film since 2004’s ‘Spider-Man 2,’ and certainly his most rewarding. ‘Send Help’ doesn’t need any assistance whatsoever to be the kind of entertaining yet rich thrill ride that Sam Raimi can deliver.
The only survivors of a plane crash, two colleagues become stranded on a deserted island, where they must overcome past grievances and work together to survive. But it ultimately becomes a battle of wills and wits to see who makes it out alive.
The new ‘Evil Dead’ spin-off movie is ‘Evil Dead Burn.’
Souheila Yacoub is aboard to star.
French filmmaker Sébastien Vaniček is in the director’s chair.
Back in February last year, we reported on the news that Warner Bros., New Line and ‘Evil Dead’ producers Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert decided to strike while the franchise iron was sizzling hot after the success of ‘Evil Dead Rise.’
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That movie, directed by Lee Cronin, and released in 2023 was originally slated to go directly to streaming service Max, ended up landing theatrically and grossed $147 million worldwide.
We already knew that French director Sébastien Vaniček, who previously made spider horror ‘Vermine,’ (AKA ‘Infested’) was hired to handle the new movie, but there were no casting details revealed yet.
Here’s what Vaniček had to say about his new star:
“I’ve long admired Souheila’s work in France, particularly in theater. She brings a rare physicality and emotional intensity to her performances –– exactly the kind of raw, visceral presence I was looking for in ‘Evil Dead Burn.’ ”
While we now know the movie’s title and who will be starring in ‘Evil Dead Burn,’ there are no details online about the plotline.
We can hazard some guesses from the title –– fire certainly sounds like it’ll be involved. Could it be something to do with flames in a contained space, or something to do with wildfires.
According to Vaniček, who wrote the script with Florent Bernard, he sees the ‘Evil Dead’ franchise as a great place to be making a movie. As he told Variety:
“It’s like a creative playground, a bold laboratory for filmmakers eager to explore something raw, brutal, and deeply transgressive.”
And this is what he said about his idea for the new title:
“My goal was to craft a powerful, singular –– almost personal –– story that could stand on its own, while still resonating deeply within the rich, complex world that Sam has built. [I want to add] depth and nuance, something that feels uniquely ours, but that anyone can connect with.”
Finally, this is what he said about what he brings:
“The ambition remains the same as with ‘Infested’: to create a visceral, sensory experience that punches the audience in the gut. I want people to feel physically drained when they leave the theater, like they’ve been through an emotional and intense journey.”
Vaniček has said that he’s going to demand a lot from Yacoub, since this will be a demanding role.
Where else have we seen Souheila Yacoub?
(Center) Souheila Yacoub in ‘The Balconettes’. Photo: Tandem.
The Geneva-born actor, who is a former professional athlete and was even part of the national team of gymnastics at a young age, sounds like someone who could well stand up to the rigors of an ‘Evil Dead’ movie (maybe Bruce Campbell, who went through the wringer at Raimi’s hands in the first three movies, can offer some pointers).
In addition to her ‘Dune: Part Two’ role, Yacoub also starred in ‘Planet B,’ which earned her a César Award nomination, and Noémie Merlant’s ‘The Balconettes,’ which premiered at Venice and Cannes.
What made Raimi and Tapert choose Sébastien Vaniček?
2023’s ‘Vermin.’
As with Cronin before him, it’s Sébastien Vaniček’s previous work that caught Raimi and Tapert’s attention.
The French filmmaker has been drawing attention thanks to ‘Vermine.’
That movie was first introduced as part of the Critics’ Week sidebar at the Venice Film Festival. Watching as the residents of a rundown French apartment building battle against an army of deadly, rapidly reproducing spiders, the film won Best Picture and Best Director in its North American premiere at Fantastic Fest, and was also invited to the Sitges Film Festival, where it earned a nomination for Best Motion Picture and won a Special Jury Prize.
He signed with agency CAA off the back of ‘Vermine’s success, and has been out and about taking meetings, which is how he ended up on Raimi and Tapert’s radar, since they’ve said they’re always looking for new talent to pick up the ‘Dead’ flag.
Raimi and Tapert produce new ‘Evil Dead’ movies through their Ghost House Pictures company.
When will ‘Evil Dead Burn’ be in theaters?
With Sony aboard to co-finance, Warner Bros. and New Line have handed out a July 24th, 2026 release date for the movie, which is a prime summer slot.
That means Vaniček will have his work cut out for him.
Bruce Campbell in ‘The Evil Dead.’ Photo: Renaissance Pictures.
Still, the actor has form with Raimi –– she reprised the role of Dr. Christine Palmer (across more than one universe) in Marvel’s ‘Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness’ in 2022.
It’s not so surprising, then, that she might look to collaborate again, and according to Jeff Sneider, McAdams is circling one of the lead roles in Raimi’s new planned horror thriller ‘Send Help,’ which is currently moving forward at 20th Century Studios.
Written by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, whose last produced movie credit was the somewhat unfortunate ‘Baywatch,’ the new horror-thriller is described as a two-hander set on an island.
It’s apparently pitched somewhere between Rob Reiner’s Stephen King adaptation ‘Misery’ (in which Kathy Bates’ superfan tortures James Caan’s author because he kills off her favorite character in his latest book) and Robert Zemeckis’ classic ‘Cast Away’ (which sees Tom Hanks as a FedEx worker who is marooned on an island and must find a way to escape).
Has Rachel McAdams starred in a horror movie before?
(L to R) Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy in 2005’s ‘Red Eye’. Photo: DreamWorks Pictures.
McAdams does have some horror in her resume –– she starred opposite Cillian Murphy in 2005’s ‘Red Eye,’ which saw an airplane passenger discover that her seatmate is a terrorist who tries to rope her into an assassination scheme.
Raimi is a prolific producer who regularly helps usher other filmmakers’ work to screens –– he’s got a variety of movies at different stages including horror thriller ‘Don’t Move’ (directed by Brian Netto and Adam Schindler) arriving later this month via Netflix and another thriller, ‘Locked’ in post-production, that one directed by David Yarovesky.
And there are a variety of others still locked in limbo, including a potential ‘Drag Me to Hell’ sequel.
Beyond Fest runs September 25th – October 9th, 2024.
Preview:
Beyond Fest is back in Los Angeles for its 12 year later this month.
‘Salem’s Lot,’ ‘The Brutalist’ and more will receive premieres.
Filmmakers including Sam Raimi, Shane Black and more will present retrospectives.
Now entering its 12th year, the highest-attended genre film festival in the US, Beyond Fest is back offering even more exciting screenings and talks with filmmakers.
The event, which has brought first looks at new movies and more to fans for years, is back this month, boasting 82 features, including 16 World Premieres, 4 International Premieres, 1 North American Premiere, 3 US Premieres, and 25 West Coast Premieres.
(L to R) Danny Glover and Mel Gibson in ‘Lethal Weapon’. Photo: Warner Bros.
This year’s event runs between September 25th – October 9th.
In partnership with the American Cinematheque and presented exclusively by distributor NEON, Beyond Fest will screen at the Egyptian Theatre, Aero Theatre, Los Feliz 3, and Vista Theatre.
Here’s what Head of Programming Evrim Ersoy has to say about this year’s fest:
“Combining a celebration of cinema whilst firmly focusing our gaze on the next generation of filmmakers has always been at the heart of the Beyond Fest. And this year we have even more opportunity to bring together the full spectrum of genre filmmaking to the community that is at the core of everything we do: from Kiyoshi Kurosawa to Brady Corbet, Jennifer Kent to Sam Raimi, we have created a program that embraces all corners of the cinematic spectrum.”
What could I see at the 2024 Beyond Fest?
2024’s Salem’s Lot. Photo: Warners Bros.
In its inimitable style, Beyond Fest is blending exciting new movies with the chance to experience old favorites and listen to the people who made them.
Bruce Campbell in ‘The Evil Dead.’ Photo: Renaissance Pictures.
Preview:
Filmmaker Francis Galluppi is developing an ‘Evil Dead’ movie.
Sam Raimi is on board to produce.
It follows the last announcement just a couple of months ago.
It would seem that ‘Evil Dead’ overlord (and director of the original three movies) Sam Raimi is creating a sort of moviemaking Thunderdome for future installments of the horror franchise.
Mere months after Sébastien Vaniček was reported as being in development on an ‘Evil Dead’ film comes word that another, American director Francis Galluppi is, via Deadline, in talks to make his own take.
So yes… Deadites galore!
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Who is Francis Galluppi?
Director Francis Galluppi. Photo: FilmFreeway.
Galluppi is a filmmaker who has largely worked in shorts and on other directors’ projects but made his own directorial debut with ‘The Last Stop in Yuma County’, which follows a traveling salesman who, while stranded at a rural Arizona rest stop, is thrust into a dire hostage situation by the arrival of two bank robbers with no qualms about using cruelty — or cold, hard steel — to protect their bloodstained fortune.
The movie will be in theaters on May 10th.
Galluppi apparently conjured an original story set within the ‘Evil Dead’ universe and pitched it to Raimi.
Here’s what Raimi told Deadline:
“Francis Galluppi is a storyteller who knows when to keep us waiting in simmering tension and when to hit us with explosive violence. He is a director that shows uncommon control in his feature debut.”
What is already happening with a new ‘Evil Dead’ movie?
Back in February, the news arrived that director Sébastien Vaniček had landed a ‘Dead’ gig after his work caught Raimi’s eye.
The French filmmaker has been drawing attention thanks to his horror movie ‘Vermine’ (or, to give it both of its English language titles, ‘Vermin’/‘Infested’.
That movie was first introduced as part of the Critics’ Week sidebar at the Venice Film Festival. Watching as the residents of a rundown French apartment building battle against an army of deadly, rapidly reproducing spiders, the film won Best Picture and Best Director in its North American premiere at Fantastic Fest, and was also invited to the Sitges Film Festival, where it earned a nomination for Best Motion Picture and won a Special Jury Prize.
He signed with agency CAA off the back of ‘Vermine’s success, and has been out and about taking meetings, which is how he ended up on Raimi and Rob Tapert’s radar, since they’ve said they’re always looking for new talent to pick up the ‘Dead’ flag.
Raimi and Tapert produce new ‘Evil Dead’ movies through their Ghost House Pictures company, but it remains to be seen where any new film ends up.
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What’s the story for the new ‘Evil Dead’ movies?
Bruce Campbell in 1982’s ‘Evil Dead II.’ Photo: Renaissance Pictures.
It seems more likely, though, that the producers hiring new directors means it’ll be a whole other story, albeit one featuring the trademark Deadites in some fashion.
Since the ‘Evil Dead’ stories pivoted away from the original movies’ character of Ash (played by Bruce Campbell, who also reprised the role for a spin-off TV series), a whole new world of terrifying opportunities has opened up for the franchise.
Which means these new movie could be about any number of situations where the infamous Necronomicon tome causes chaos.
Last year’s ‘Evil Dead Rise’, written and directed by Lee Cronin, brought the ‘Dead’ movies howling back to life.
Though Cronin said at the time that he had ideas for where sequels could lead following his Deadites-in-a-high-rise horror, and the film’s successful $147M worldwide box office, there has been no announcement about a follow-up.
1982’s ‘Evil Dead II.’ Photo: Renaissance Pictures.
French filmmaker Sébastien Vaniček will direct a new ‘Evil Dead’ movie.
Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert are producing as usual.
It does not appear to be a sequel to 2023’s ‘Evil Dead Rise’.
While the ‘Evil Dead’ franchise came roaring back to life (or, er, death?) last year with Lee Cronin’s ‘Evil Dead Rise’), things have been quiet since then.
Though Cronin said at the time that he had ideas for where sequels could lead following his Deadites-in-a-high-rise horror, and the film’s successful $147M worldwide box office, there has been no announcement about a follow-up.
Now, though, according to Deadline, ‘Evil Dead’ franchise overseers Sam Raimi (who directed the original three ‘Dead’ movies) and producer Robert Tapert have found a new filmmaker to handle another movie.
Nothing has been said about the story for the new movie so far, which means we don’t know if it’ll continue the story of ‘Evil Dead Rise’. It seems more likely, though, that the producers hiring a new director means it’ll be a whole other story, albeit one featuring the trademark Deadites in some fashion.
Since the ‘Evil Dead’ stories pivoted away from the original movies’ character of Ash (played by Bruce Campbell, who also reprised the role for a spin-off TV series), a whole new world of terrifying opportunities has opened up for the franchise.
Which means this new movie could be about any number of situations where the infamous Necronomicon tome causes chaos.
What made Raimi and Tapert choose Sébastien Vaniček?
2023’s ‘Vermin.’
As with Cronin before him, it’s Sébastien Vaniček’s previous work that caught Raimi and Tapert’s attention.
The French filmmaker has been drawing attention thanks to his horror movie ‘Vermine’ (or, to give it both of its English language titles, ‘Vermin’/‘Infested’.
That movie was first introduced as part of the Critics’ Week sidebar at the Venice Film Festival. Watching as the residents of a rundown French apartment building battle against an army of deadly, rapidly reproducing spiders, the film won Best Picture and Best Director in its North American premiere at Fantastic Fest, and was also invited to the Sitges Film Festival, where it earned a nomination for Best Motion Picture and won a Special Jury Prize.
He signed with agency CAA off the back of ‘Vermine’s success, and has been out and about taking meetings, which is how he ended up on Raimi and Tapert’s radar, since they’ve said they’re always looking for new talent to pick up the ‘Dead’ flag.
Raimi and Tapert produce new ‘Evil Dead’ movies through their Ghost House Pictures company, but it remains to be seen where any new film ends up.
When will the new ‘Evil Dead’ movie be in theaters?
Given that it hasn’t even been written yet, we don’t expect this one before 2025 or 2026 at the earliest.
Bruce Campbell in ‘The Evil Dead.’ Photo: Renaissance Pictures.
Scott Derrickson, who directed the first ‘Strange’ outing, had been on track to make the second (joining the likes of Jon Favreau, Peyton Reed and the Russobrothers in sticking around for more than one movie about a Marvel character) when he suddenly left the project, citing creative differences.
He went on to make successful horror movie ‘The Black Phone’ instead and has stuck with terror his latest gig, an entry in anthology creep-fest ‘V/H/S/85’. But according to the filmmaker, he harbors no ill will towards anyone at Marvel, and thinks he made the right choice to leave the movie.
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Scott Derrickson talks about leaving ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’
“All I can say is that what we said publicly is exactly the truth. We had real creative differences. You know, the movie I wanted to make and how I wanted to make it was different than –– it was just increasingly obvious that we were pulling against each other. And that’s how you make a really bad movie, I think. When the producer or the studio and the filmmaker are making different movies, you end up with a monstrosity and, you know, that’s why I had to bounce.”
Though Sam Raimi’s version of the ‘Strange’ follow-up certainly had its horror-tinged moments, the movie that Derrickson had been developing was, in his words, an “extreme departure” from the first and leaned much more heavily into the scares. But it was not to be.
Is Derrickson still friendly with Marvel?
(L to R) Charlize Theron and Benedict Cumberbatch in ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.’
Despite the differences and his ultimate departure, Derrickson has not burned any bridges with Marvel HQ.
As he outlines:
“I went to the premiere. I’m still friends with Kevin [Feige] and everything with me and Marvel is really cool. They invited me to the premiere, and I went. And I’m friends with Sam [Raimi]. I love Sam, so there’s no bad blood over that.”
In the end, it worked out for everyone. While ‘Multiverse of Madness’ didn’t enjoy quite the same level of critical appreciation as the first movie, it still made almost a billion dollars worldwide. Derrickson, meanwhile, saw ‘The Black Phone’ (adapted from a Joe Hill story and starring Ethan Hawke as a child-snatching baddie) earn more than $180 million worldwide on an $18 million budget.
‘V/H/S/85’, meanwhile, will land on horror-focused streaming service Shudder this Friday.
‘The Black Phone’ director Scott Derrickson.
Other Movies Similar to ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness:’
Venom, created by writer Bill Michelinie and artist Todd McFarlane, was famously introduced as a villain in 1988’s ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ No. 300, and quickly became a fan-favorite as well as one of his arch-nemeses. He got his first solo comic in 1993.
