News
Blumhouse Remaking Stephen King’s Firestarter
What does Hollywood do when it’s adapted nearly every major Stephen King story – outside of his more recent work, which will no doubt get adapted too eventually – under the sun? The answer seems to be simple: adapt the ones they already adapted again
Andy Muschetti’s hotly anticipated theatrical re-adaptation of IT is headed to theaters this year, with film re-dos of Pet Sematary and The Stand in the pipeline, and a TV version of The Mist soon to debut on Spike.
The latest King classic to get the remake treatment is Firestarter, King’s 1980 tale of Charlene “Charlie” McGee, a young girl born with potentially deadly pyrokinetic abilities.
Charlie has these powers due to experiments run on her parents by a sinister government agency known as The Shop, who she and her dad Andy find themselves constantly on the run from in the present.
Firestarter was first adapted in 1984 by director Mark L. Lester, starring Drew Barrymore as Charlie and David Keith as Andy. George C. Scott also played a prominent role as creepy villain John Rainbird. While not a huge financial success, Firestarter has gone on to earn a cult audience in the decades since its release.
Now, Deadline reports that Blumhouse Productions and Universal Pictures are set to team up on a new Firestarter film adaptation, this one directed by Oscar-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, who recently penned the script for the upcoming Dark Tower movie.
The Firestarter remake is still in the early stages, so details beyond the above are scarce. The 1984 film stuck very closely to King’s novel, so it’ll be interesting to see if Goldsman and Blumhouse opt to liven things up by going in a different creative direction.
The last thing the world needs is another 2013 Carrie, which duplicated De Palma’s iconic 1976 classic almost shot for shot, and as a result, felt largely pointless.
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News
Russell Crowe To Star in Another Exorcism Movie & It’s Not a Sequel
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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Movies
New F-Bomb Laden ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer: Bloody Buddy Movie
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.
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
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.
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.”
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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