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King Short Story, “One for the Road” Optioned by Maine Filmmakers

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Another Stephen King story is coming to the big screen. King’s short story, “One For The Road” has been optioned by Bonfire Films and Dark Farm Films, studios responsible for “The Tickle,” “The Hanover House,” and “Sui Generis” (short film).

The story takes place in and around Jerusalem’s Lot, the notorious town of vampires in King’s second published novel, “Salem’s Lot.” Two elderly residents of Maine set out to rescue the Gerards, who became stranded by a blizzard, but soon discover the unfortunate family is stuck in “the Lot.” Will they survive their encounter in the vampire infested town?

Though the two studios don’t have much of a cinematic pedigree, they are dedicated to paying homage to King, who has inspired them with his work.

From the Press Release:

Maine-based production companies Bonfire Films and Dark Farm Films have teamed up to bring the work of author Stephen King back to his home state. This year the two companies will adapt King’s short story “One for the Road,” filming it in the areas that King intended the dark tale to unfold: the Maine towns of Falmouth, Windham, and Cumberland, better known to the literary world as Jerusalem’s Lot (Salem’s Lot). 

Corey Norman, director of the wildly successful independent feature The Hanover House, is set to direct the long-form short film, while Jenny Anastasoff of the Damnationland hit Sui Generis and Haley Norman of The Hanover House are set to produce. Being huge King fans, the group hope to create a true love letter to the work of the author, while showcasing the state that has brought them so much inspiration. Look for the film when it hits festivals later this year.

Jenny Anastasoff, who originally worked for Bonfire films as an actor since their inception, created Dark Farm Films last year to work on her own short films. Anastasoff has been a fan of King’s for a long time, and as a Maine native she says, “I’m so looking forward to casting, and location scouting, making it all come to life. Too many King films are shot outside of the state, so we are pretty excited to film a Maine tale in Maine. Stephen King is a great benefactor to his home state, and we are grateful.”

Astanoff still has her 1980’s copy of King’s “Night Shift,” the collection where the short story was published, and will be using it as she adapts the story. “It’s a great cinematic piece – classic King, suspenseful and spooky and very Maine,” Astanoff says.

Take a look at the trailers for “The Hanover House,” and the short film “Sui Generis” for an idea of what the film may look like.

Though having a film optioned doesn’t necessarily guarantee it will make it to the screen, it is encouraging to see a dedicated team working to stay true to the intent of King’s stories, and love of his home state.

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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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