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[EXCLUSIVE] Makers of ‘Bite’ Developing Their Next Project for TV

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Black Fawn Films is a strong force on the indie horror scene. With titles like Bite, Antisocial, The Drownsman, Let Her Out, The Heretics and Bed of the Dead, their resume is padded with films that branch out from the formulaic standard. On their newest project, The Cleaners, Black Fawn Films plans to bring their unique blood-spattered skills to the small screen.

You may know Black Fawn from their visceral hit, Bite, which was directed, written and produced by Chad Archibald. The film was a hit on the festival circuit. There was a lot of hype surrounding the fact that they actually had to call an ambulance for audience members during the premiere at Fantasia Film Fest. Two people fainted, one was vomiting, and another hit their head on the stairs, according to reports.

The Cleaners follows a crime scene cleaner who is set to the unruly task of cleaning up after Supernatural killings, “hiding the truth from the world that… monsters do exist”.

I’ve always wondered what it would be like for the poor schmucks who need to go in and clean up after Mulder and Scully are done their work. Here’s hoping we get to see more from this project, because I am definitely on board.

via Black Fawn Films

I asked the Black Fawn Films team about The Cleaners, this is what they had to say:

“It’s exciting to envision the transition from features to TV. Black Fawn has admired the rise of story telling on television and its progression over the last few years but we held off until we found a concept that we were truly passionate about. The Cleaners is that concept. The entire team is beyond excited to tackle this story and bring these wild characters to life.” – Christopher Giroux, Producer

 

“We’ve wanted to do a genre TV show for so long but we also needed to find an idea that had longevity, unique characters and fit the wacky horror standard we’ve built for ourselves. It took a while to find an idea for a show that we would all love to watch and “The Cleaners” is it. So many people have come together to support us and this idea to help create what we think is an absolutely killer Proof of Concept. We’re honoured to be pitching this project with so many talented people backing it. It’s a dream for sure.” – Chad Archibald, Producer

 

“We’ve been working on TV ideas for a few years now while we shot the last few features. The Cleaners was an idea that always seemed to stick. I started writing the concept with Al Kratina and eventually the idea took real form. I’m so pumped to pitch this. It’s made by horror movie lovers for horror movie fans. We will tackle ALL horror genres within one show. It’s going to be terrifying, gory and at times even humorous. In the last few years we’ve created projects that I’m very proud of, but The Cleaners has a special place in my heart as, for the first time ever, they’ll be multiple directors on one single Black Fawn Films project.” – Cody Calahan, Producer

 

The chance to work on something where we follow a character over an entire season versus 80 minutes is very exciting to me, I’m looking forward to seeing the light, shadows and camera work evolve and change with the character. With all the choices audiences have out there things need to always look fresh; William F. Whites, Redlab and PanavisIon have all the toys allowing us to realize this vision. – Jeff Maher, Director of Photography

From the press release:

The award-winning Canadian horror film production company, Black Fawn Films, are set to showcase their TV series concept The Cleaners, created by Cody Calahan and Al Kratina, to networks at The Banff World Media Festival. The series is set to be produced by Chad Archibald, Cody Calahan and Christopher Giroux along with Jeff Maher as the Director of Photography.

For the first time ever, William F. White Int’l will allow a production company to take over their social media sites. Black Fawn Films will control the WFW Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube channel for 3 days.

Follow their journey as Black Fawn Films, will be posting live from Banff, as well as showcasing highlights from past collaborations with William F. White. The sites will feature behind the scenes, videos, photos and an exclusive sneak peek from the set of the new proof of concept for The Cleaners.

Along with William F White Int’l and Breakthrough Entertainment, Redlab Digital and Panavision have also come on board to support the project and the creation of a proof of concept, which will accompany their pitch package at the Banff World Media Festival.

If you have yet to see it, you can view a trailer for Bite below.

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Russell Crowe To Star in Another Exorcism Movie & It’s Not a Sequel

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Maybe it’s because The Exorcist just celebrated its 50th-anniversary last year, or maybe it’s because aging Academy Award-winning actors aren’t too proud to take on obscure roles, but Russell Crowe is visiting the Devil once again in yet another possession film. And it’s not related to his last one, The Pope’s Exorcist.

According to Collider, the film titled The Exorcism was originally going to be released under the name The Georgetown Project. Rights for its North American release were once in the hands of Miramax but then went to Vertical Entertainment. It will release on June 7 in theaters then head over to Shudder for subscribers.

Crowe will also star in this year’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter which is set to drop in theaters on August 30.

As for The Exorcism, Collider provides us with what it’s about:

“The film centers around actor Anthony Miller (Crowe), whose troubles come to the forefront as he shoots a supernatural horror movie. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) has to figure out whether he’s lapsing into his past addictions, or if something even more horrific is occurring. “

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New F-Bomb Laden ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer: Bloody Buddy Movie

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Deadpool & Wolverine might be the buddy movie of the decade. The two heterodox superheroes are back in the latest trailer for the summer blockbuster, this time with more f-bombs than a gangster film.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Movie Trailer

This time the focus is on Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. The adamantium-infused X-Man is having a bit of a pity party when Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) arrives on the scene who then tries to convince him to team up for selfish reasons. The result is a profanity-filled trailer with a Strange surprise at the end.

Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It comes out on July 26. Here is the latest trailer, and we suggest if you are at work and your space isn’t private, you might want to put in headphones.

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Original Blair Witch Cast Ask Lionsgate for Retroactive Residuals in Light of New Film

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The Blair Witch Project Cast

Jason Blum is planning to reboot The Blair Witch Project for the second time. That’s a fairly large task considering none of the reboots or sequels have managed to capture the magic of the 1999 film that brought found footage into the mainstream.

This idea has not been lost on the original Blair Witch cast, who has recently reached out to Lionsgate to ask for what they feel is fair compensation for their role in the pivotal film. Lionsgate gained access to The Blair Witch Project in 2003 when they purchased Artisan Entertainment.

Blair witch
The Blair Witch Project Cast

However, Artisan Entertainment was an independent studio before its purchase, meaning the actors were not part of SAG-AFTRA. As a result, the cast are not entitled to the same residuals from the project as actors in other major films. The cast doesn’t feel that the studio should be able to continue to profit off of their hard work and likenesses without fair compensation.

Their most recent request asks for “meaningful consultation on any future ‘Blair Witch’ reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc., in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.”

The blair witch project

At this time, Lionsgate has not offered any comment about this issue.

The full statement made by the cast can be found below.

OUR ASKS OF LIONSGATE (From Heather, Michael & Josh, stars of “The Blair Witch Project”):

1. Retroactive + future residual payments to Heather, Michael and Josh for acting services rendered in the original BWP, equivalent to the sum that would’ve been allotted through SAG-AFTRA, had we had proper union or legal representation when the film was made.

2. Meaningful consultation on any future Blair Witch reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc…, in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.

Note: Our film has now been rebooted twice, both times were a disappointment from a fan/box office/critical perspective. Neither of these films were made with significant creative input from the original team. As the insiders who created the Blair Witch and have been listening to what fans love & want for 25 years, we’re your single greatest, yet thus-far un-utilized secret-weapon!

3. “The Blair Witch Grant”: A 60k grant (the budget of our original movie), paid out yearly by Lionsgate, to an unknown/aspiring genre filmmaker to assist in making theirfirst feature film. This is a GRANT, not a development fund, hence Lionsgate will not own any of the underlying rights to the project.

A PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE DIRECTORS & PRODUCERS OF “THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT”:

As we near the 25th anniversary of The Blair Witch Project, our pride in the storyworld we created and the film we produced is reaffirmed by the recent announcement of a reboot by horror icons Jason Blum and James Wan.

While we, the original filmmakers, respect Lionsgate’s right to monetize the intellectual property as it sees fit, we must highlight the significant contributions of the original cast — Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Mike Williams. As the literal faces of what has become a franchise, their likenesses, voices, and real names are inseparably tied to The Blair Witch Project. Their unique contributions not only defined the film’s authenticity but continue to resonate with audiences around the world.

We celebrate our film’s legacy, and equally, we believe the actors deserve to be celebrated for their enduring association with the franchise.

Sincerely, Eduardo Sanchez, Dan Myrick, Gregg Hale, Robin Cowie, and Michael Monello

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