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It's official: The Weinstein Company is continuing every franchise they own the rights to. After releasing Scream 4 in April, the studio (via their Dimension Films label) is looking to relaunch its remaining franchises, as ComingSoon reports that Halloween 3-D and Scary Movie 5 have both received release dates.
A few years ago, Dimension had started putting together a third installment on director Rob Zombie's Halloween reboot (there was a sequel — 2009's Halloween II), hiring My Bloody Valentine 3-D director Patrick Lussier. Lussier turned to screenwriter, and frequent collaborator, Todd Farmer to write a script for the proposed 3-D sequel, but Dimension halted production in October of 2009.
Last month, Lussier and Farmer publicly admitted that Halloween 3-D was something they wanted to make, but we were waiting for someone to tell them to "go make it." It's unclear whether Dimension will use Farmer's script or whether Lussier will direct, but with a release date of Oct. 26, 2012, for Halloween 3-D it would be surprising to bring on another writer and director. Lussier and Farmer are currently busy preparing a reinvention of the Hellraiser franchise for the studio, but could conceivably start Halloween 3-D once they have finished.
what about Scary Movie 5? >> Posted 06.20.11 by Ryan -
Michael Myers might live again to escape death.
In 2007, The Weinstein Company successfully rebooted the Halloween franchise with director Rob Zombie's Halloween remake. After raking in $80 million in worldwide box office, Zombie directed Halloween II in 2009. While the sequel only made about half the profit, the studio immediately began developing a third Halloween anyway.
My Bloody Valentine 3-D director Patrick Lussier was hired in September 2009 to helm Halloween 3-D, and he quickly turned to frequent collaborator Todd Farmer to write a script. A year later, however, The Weinstein Company halted production. Lussier had no answer about the delay, admitting to Bloody-Disgusting last October that "we were very excited about the script we wrote." Still, the sequel languished.
In a recent interview with MTV, Lussier admitted that he and Farmer are still interested in making Halloween 3D.
what did Lussier say? >> Posted 05.27.11 by Ryan -
Hollywood's never-ending onslaught of remakes continues! January's remakes and sequels were a varied and surprising bunch, and the most recent crop is no different. This month sees a classic romantic comedy and horror movie get reinvented, while another European thriller gets Americanized and an ensemble comedy gets updated.
Hard to believe that The Bodyguard is almost twenty years old, which may be why Warner Bros. is looking to remake it. Deadline reports that screenwriters Jeremiah Friedman and Nick Palmer will write the remake of the 1992 original, which saw Kevin Costner as an ex-Secret Service Agent who falls for the singer (Whitney Houston) he has been assigned to protect from a stalker. The remake won't stray too far, changing the Costner character to a Iraq War veteran and updating the movie to include cyber-stalking. According to the report, the plan is cast a young singer "with global appeal" in the Houston role.
Hellraier NOT a remake? >> Posted 02.25.11 by Ryan -
Academy Award-winning actor Nicolas Cage's new supernatural movie, Season of the Witch, is a big bomb at the box office and Summit Entertainment seems determined to avoid the same fate by hiding the supernatural elements in the latest Cage "vehicle," Drive Angry.
The movie tells the story of Milton (Cage), a damned soul who escapes from hell to save his granddaughter from being sacrificed by the same cult that murdered his daughter. Pursued by Satan's "Accountant" (William Fichter), Cage must "drive angry" if he has any hope of rescuing his granddaughter before he is sent packing back to the pits of hell. Based on the premise, one would think that the movie would be chock-full of supernatural elements, but there are none in sight in the new TV spot and preview clip Summit recently released to promote the movie.
watch the new TV spot and preview clip >> Posted 01.18.11 by BrentJS -
The Weinstein Company has had its eye on a Hellraiser reboot for years, even releasing a synopsis last year. Almost a year later, the reboot is finally on track with the addition of a director and screenwriter that bring with them both horror and 3-D credentials.
Variety reports that the Weinstein Company and Dimension have hired director Patrick Lussier and screenwriter Todd Farmer — the duo behind My Bloody Valentine 3-D and the upcoming Drive Angry — to create the reboot. This ends a years-long director merry-go-round. The pair pitched an origin story, which will start shooting next year for a late 2011 or early 2012 release.
the reboot will tell the origin story >> Posted 10.26.10 by Ryan -
When reports announced last year that Nicolas Cage was going to team up with director Patrick Lussier (My Bloody Valentine 3-D) on a revenge movie called Drive Angry, no mention of the supernatural was mentioned. Now that the trailer for Drive Angry that debuted at the San Diego Comic-Con is online, everyone can see that one of Cage's first lines is "hell already is walking the Earth." Literally.
Watch the trailer and learn more about Cage's anti-hero >> Posted 07.26.10 by Ryan -
According to Deadline Hollywood, The Weinstein Co. has decided to put the brakes on pre-production of Halloween 3D. The follow-up to Rob Zombie's recent Halloween II was set to rehash the original Halloween franchise conceived by John Carpenter.
Apparently, Bob Weinstein wanted to get the thing into production as quickly as possible, since new director Patrick Lussier is scheduled to work on another project starting in January. The sudden shut down probably leads many to conclude that the Weinsteins' recent financial woes may be responsible. But an unidentified source said that "Bob just felt it was rushing too fast."
We're not sure whether to believe that, since Halloween II performed so poorly at the box office, but regardless, it now appears production on a third installment won't happen until next spring, if it even happens at all.
Meanwhile, Dimension apparently has plans to re-release Zombie's Halloween II in selected theaters for midnight screenings on Halloween. Seriously? Midnight screenings should be reserved for classics and/or established cult films, not mediocre rehashes that aren't even a year old. We don't know about you, but we'd much rather see Carpenter's Halloween back on the big screen.
Posted 10.01.09 by reelz -
Dread Central reports that the negotiations for My Bloody Valentine director Patrick Lussier to take over for Rob Zombie on Halloween 3D have ended positively and Lussier is now confirmed to take the director's chair. Lussier told ShockTilYouDrop that he is "excited to be aboard" the sequel. Fans should be, too, since Lussier is not a stranger to the Halloween world, having served as editor on one of the better sequels, Halloween: H20.
Joining Lussier is Valentine screenwriter Todd Farmer, with Dimension clearly hoping to duplicate the duo's Valentine success for H3D — especially after Halloween II lost its opening weekend to 3-D horror rival The Final Destination.
Production on Halloween 3D begins at the end of the year with an anticipated release date of late summer 2010. Shooting will have to be quick, since Lussier and Farmer are scheduled to start work on Drive Angry, the Nicolas Cage "revenge movie," in April 2010.
Posted 09.22.09 by Ryan -
Last week it was rumored that director Steve Miner (Halloween H20, Friday the 13th Part 3) was returning to the rebooted franchise that Rob Zombie was vacating, but it looks like The Weinstein Co.would rather hire a director who has worked with 3-D technology more recently than 1982. Variety reports that Patrick Lussier (My Bloody Valentine 3-D) is negotiating with the Weinsteins' horror studio, Dimension Films, to take Halloween's psychotic killer Michael Myers into the third dimension.
The Weinsteins and Dimension have been experiencing some turbulent financial times. After Halloween II lost its opening weekend to The Final Destination, the Weinsteins clearly wanted a sure bet for Halloween 3-D. Lussier's Valentine grossed $51 million at the box office, about three times its budget, which is a good sign for a company that's trying to stay alive financially alongside horror movies like the upcoming Piranha 3-D and Scream 4.
Posted 09.10.09 by Ryan -
The latest in the long list of recently announced productions that will use 3-D technology, Drive Angry is a "revenge movie" by director Patrick Lussier. Actor Nicolas Cage has signed on to star as a man with a serious case of road rage after his daughter is murdered and his granddaughter is kidnapped.
Lussier is no stranger to 3-D, having helmed My Bloody Valentine 3-D. While almost universally panned by critics, Valentine (with a production budget of only $15 million) managed to earn $51 million at the box office. Not much else is known about the plot of this Taken-meets-Death Proof movie, but production on Drive Angry is expected to begin in Louisiana in April 2010.
Posted 09.01.09 by BrentJS