Screen Gems has picked up the rights to adapt budding filmmaker Tim Schechmeister's horror short, Viral, for the big screen.
Fresh out of UCLA film school, Schechmeister hit the festival circuit with the 11-minute short that he co-write (with his brother, Matt) and directed, picking up awards for Best Supernatural Short and Best Student Short at the Atlanta Horror Film Festival and Shockwest Film Festival, respectively. After meeting The Grudge writer Stephen Susco at a screenwriting event, Schechmeister's short quickly found its way into the hands of producers Roy Lee (The Grudge) and Lawrence Grey, who sold Screen Gems on the idea of adapting the short.
Viral is described on the Facebook page dedicated to the short as a "supernatural horror short about a case of mistaken identity, with terrifying consequences." It revolves around two young women who fool around on the Internet and "provoke someone... or something" that they shouldn't have. The deal with Screen Gems will see the Schechmeister brothers writing the screenplay for the feature movie adaptation, with Tim at the helm. Susco, Lee, and Grey will produce, along with John Middleton.
hear from Susco and watch the trailer for Viral >> Posted 12.19.11 by BrentJS
Latest rumors surrounding the previously announced Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie have attached Transformers star Megan Fox as title heroine Buffy Summers.
The 23-year-old Tennessee native has denied any links to vampires and slayers, with Buffy producer Roy Lee telling IGN:
"The rumors of Megan Fox being involved with Buffy are just rumors. As with any film project with a female lead under the age of 30, Megan is the actress that most studios want so it is no surprise her name is mentioned. While I think she would be great for our project, we are still in the early stages of developing the script."
The proposed movie will have no ties to either the 1992 movie or the TV show, which ran for seven seasons from 1997-2003. Sunnydale genius Joss Whedon won't be involved, and neither will fan-favorite Sarah Michelle Gellar. Original Buffy rights holders Fran Rubel Kuzui and Kaz Kuzui are clearly trying to cash in on the sudden popularity surge in all things fanged and, let's face it, it doesn't sound very good. A Buffy movie without Whedon or Gellar? What is the world coming to?
Posted 06.11.09 by reelz