Chronicle

Found Footage Sequels: Chronicle and Project X Get Second Installments

The "found footage" style of movie experienced a resurgence in the horror genre after the success of Paranormal Activity, which spawned a multitude of other "found footage" movies, including two Paranormal Activity sequels. It wasn't long before the technique made its way into other genres, including the superhero movie Chronicle and party comedy Project X, both of which, it turns out, are getting sequels as well.

In January, Chronicle director Josh Trank admitted that he had some "ideas that could be expanded on" for a sequel should Fox want it, but admitted last month, "I'm still not sure [about Chronicle 2]... I was nervous this type of movie would be perceived as a gimmick, so I was in denial for awhile about what the potential of the film could be."

For Twentieth Century Fox, the potential seems to be a franchise with Deadline reporting that Chronicle screenwriter Max Landis has been hired to write the sequel. Trank came up with the story of Chronicle, while Landis scripted, or as Trank described it, "filled it out with the heart and soul and muscles." The pair's efforts ended up earning $105 million worldwide on a $15 million budget.

Chronicle Barely Flies Past Woman in Black for Top Spot

Three New Chronicle Preview Clips a Mix of Pranking and Criminal Activity

The "found footage" technique of moviemaking has become pervasive in the horror genre after the success of Paranormal Activity. How well will it work with superheroes? We'll find out in director Josh Trank's debut movie Chronicle, which follows three high school students (Dane DeHaan, Michael B. Jordan, Alex Russell) who develop superpowers like invulnerability and telekinesis after finding a mysterious substance near an unexplained crater.

Chronicle isn't based on a comic book, but Max Landis' script certainly deals with the themes — "with great power comes great responsibility" comes to mind, as some of the movie's preview clips have shown that the three friends don't all decide to use their new powers for good.

Chronicle Movie: New York City Buzzed by "Flying People" in Viral Marketing Stunt

We love clever viral marketing campaigns for movies. We ran around the streets of San Diego during Comic-Con to find the location of "Flynn's Arcade" during Disney's 2009 and 2010 pushes for Tron: Legacy, were among the first to retweet the hashtag (#thefirerises) that helped reveal the first image of Tom Hardy as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises and even made our own robot boxer to compete in Real Steel's World Robot Boxing league.

The latest in movie virals comes to us from Fox and it's already become one of our favorites. To promote the release of Chronicle, first-time feature director Josh Trank's new "found footage" movie about a trio of teens — Dane DeHaan, Michael B. Jordan and Alex Russell — who develop super powers, three remote-controlled "flying people" buzzed the sky over New York City, causing no small amount of commotion among the Gothamites lucky enough to catch a glimpse of them.

Director Josh Trank Responds to Fantastic Four Rumors

Director Josh Trank made his feature debut with the "found footage" superhero movie Chronicle, which, unlike most movies featuring ordinary people who discover they have superpowers, wasn't based on any comic book. While audiences have yet to respond to Chronicle, the movie has caught the attention of Twentieth Century Fox, who reportedly made Trank their "frontrunner" to direct their reboot of Fantastic Four, which the studio has been planning since 2009, even hiring Green Lantern screenwriter Michael Green to write the script that same year.

Fox's interest is news to Trank, who told SuperHeroHype that he knows "as much as you guys know" about the Fantastic Four reboot, and may not be too interested in the job.

New Footage Unleashed in Latest TV Spot for Josh Trank's Chronicle

A new TV spot — the third to date, if you're counting — for first-time feature director Josh Trank's upcoming "found footage" movie, Chronicle, recently began airing and it can now be viewed online. Written by Max Landis, the movie applies a real-world perspective to the superhero genre by showing how easily three high school friends — Dane DeHaan (Amigo), Michael B. Jordan (Red Tails) and Alex Russell (The Wheeler Boys) — are tempted to abuse the super powers they developed after coming into contact with a mysterious substance. The latest spot contains new footage of the trio unleashing their newfound abilities on an unsuspecting world to devastating effect.

Director Josh Trank on the Possibility of a Sequel to Chronicle

With the release of his first movie, the "found footage" superhero (supervillain?) movie Chronicle, still more than a week away, up-and-coming director Josh Trank (The Kill Point TV series) is receiving the kind of buzz typically reserved for veteran filmmakers. In fact, rumor has it that executives at Fox are so impressed by Trank's work on Chronicle that the studio is considering giving him the opportunity to make a movie about real superheroes that has a real budget and a built-in cast of recognizable characters as the director of the Fantastic Four reboot. In a recent interview with DenOfGeek!, Trank described the attention he has been receiving for the movie as "a little weird" and discussed the possibility of a sequel to Chronicle.

New Preview Clip from Chronicle a Study in Abusing Telekinesis

What would you do if you suddenly had superpowers? In comic books, those that develop superpowers usually try to use them for good, but director Josh Trank's debut movie Chronicle takes a more realistic approach about how real people might react when given the "great responsibility" of superpowers.

In the "found footage" movie, Dane DeHaan (Amigo), Michael B. Jordan (Red Tails) and Alex Russell (The Wheeler Boys) play three high school students who develop superpowers like invulnerability and telekinesis after finding a mysterious substance near an unexplained crater. Two previously released preview clips have shown the boys finding the crater and demonstrating their newfound powers by throwing baseballs at each other, while another showed one (DeHaan) starting to use his powers for destructive means. MTV has released a new clip from the movie which shows the boys in more innocent times, studying telekinesis and then using that same power to play a prank on some female students standing nearby.

Chronicle Director the "Frontrunner" to Helm Fox's Fantastic Four Reboot

Fox's pair of kid-friendly Fantastic Four (FF) adaptations were highly successful in terms of box office numbers, bringing in a combined total of $619 million worldwide, but the movies were shredded by critics and never even came close to winning over die-hard comic book and comic book movie fans (for the laundry list of reasons why, check out this "hater" forum over at SuperHeroHype). Aware that the current franchise had already run its course after only two movies, Fox announced back in August 2009 that it was rebooting FF and that Green Lantern scribe Michael Green had been hired to write the script.

Since that time, however, we've heard nothing but rumors about the FF reboot, from the supposed title of the new movie to the actors who might be playing Mr. Fantastic. Though producer Akiva Goldsman has dropped the project, Fox hasn't given up on the FF reboot just yet — in fact, the studio can't, unless it wants the rights to revert back to Marvel — and is currently looking at directors. According to Variety, the current "frontrunner" for the job is up-and-coming director Josh Trank, whose feature debut, the "found footage" superhero movie Chronicle, opens in less than three weeks.

International Poster and New Preview Clips from Chronicle

A new French teaser poster for first-time feature director Josh Trank's upcoming "found footage" movie, Chronicle, has turned up online and it is very much in keeping with the style and tone of the two domestic teaser posters that have been released, except that all three of the teenage "superheroes" — played by Dane DeHaan (Amigo), Michael B. Jordan (Red Tails) and Alex Russell (The Wheeler Boys) — are depicted. Additionally, two new preview clips from the movie have been released, one showing the trio investigating the crater/tunnel where they find the mysterious substance that gives them their incredible powers, and the other showing them testing their powers by chucking baseballs at one another.