Midnight Syndicate Teams w/ Dusk till Dawn Producer

Posted by support@reallyscary.com (ReallyScary.com) on February 8, 2007 Midnight Syndicate will be teaming up with Hollywood FX legend Robert Kurtzman (Dusk till Dawn producer, co-founder of the KNB EFX Group) and his production company, Precinct 13 Entertainment to produce the horror-suspense film, The Dead Matter. Pre-production will begin March 1 with principal photography scheduled to kick off in Northeastern Ohio this August. A 2008 release is projected.

Edward Douglas will be directing the film and producing it through the newly formed Midnight Syndicate Films division of Entity Productions, Inc. The company is currently in talks with Doug Bradley (Hellraiser series) and Andrew Divoff (Wishmaster) to star.

"This is a really exciting time for us. One of our main goals over the past ten years has been to get into a position to remake The Dead Matter with an actual budget" said Edward Douglas who produced and directed an earlier version of the film for $2000 in 1996 before forming Midnight Syndicate. "Horror movies are at the core of what Gavin and I do in Midnight Syndicate. It's what we love and that's why we believe in remaking this particular film. Co-writer Tony Demci and I have had a lot of time to take what we felt was a good story in the original version and develop it into something very special that we know is really going to deliver for both our fans and other fans of the horror genre."

The Dead Matter tells the story of a vampire relic with occult powers that falls into the hands of a grief-stricken young woman who will do anything to contact her dead brother.

Criterion Launching Entry-Level Priced DVD Line

Posted by support@reallyscary.com (ReallyScary.com) on February 8, 2007 The Criterion Collection, known as the Cadillac of DVD suppliers because of its elaborate packages, will launch an entry-level line of boxed sets in March.

The Eclipse line, according to its mission statement, will feature "lost, forgotten or overshadowed films, in simple, affordable editions." Each set will contain three to five films, sans bonus features, made from the best available masters, but not getting a full Criterion restoration. Retail pricing, on average, will be less than $15 a disc. Regular Criterion Collection DVDs start at about $30.

"The goal is to make these films available, to make sure that Criterion's own work style doesn't contribute to the continuing unavailability of these films," Criterion Collection president Peter Becker said. "Once our producers and restoration crew get started on a Criterion edition, the project takes on a life of its own. Months later, with a little luck, we'll have something really special to show for it, but at that rate we can't make a dent in the number of important unreleased films that we'd like people to be able to see."

The Eclipse line launches March 27 with the five-disc set "Early Bergman," which includes a quintet of psychological character studies from the career of legendary Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman a decade before "The Seventh Seal" and "Wild Strawberries" earned him a reputation as one of the greatest directors ever. Among them: "Torment," a 1944 coming-of-age drama that was Bergman's first produced screenplay, and 1949's "Thirst," a complex film about the human condition told in flashbacks. Also included in "Early Bergman" are "Crisis" (1946), "Port of Call" (1948) and "To Joy" (1949).

Indiana Jones vs. Speed Racer for 2008

Posted by support@reallyscary.com (ReallyScary.com) on February 8, 2007 It's not horror news but in definitely interesting movie news, Paramount Pictures will release Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones 4 on May 22, 2008.

The Harrison Ford starrer -- which resurrects the franchise after a nearly 20-year hiatus -- will go up against Warner Bros. tentpole Speed Racer, which bows a day after Indy 4.

David Koepp (Spider-Man) penned the script for the fourth installment, which reteams George Lucas, Spielberg and Ford. LucasFilms is producing Indy 4 for Par. Pic is set to begin lensing by June. Storyline is being kept under tight wraps.

In their first directing effort since The Matrix trilogy, Larry and Andy Wachowski will helm Speed Racer, based on the Japanese cartoon series of the same name by anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida.

Helmer Chosen for Beckinsale’s Whiteout

Posted by support@reallyscary.com (ReallyScary.com) on January 10, 2007 Variety reports Dominic Sena will direct Kate Beckinsale in flick Whiteout, the first movie to go into production under Joel Silver's new Dark Castle Entertainment genre label.

Warner Bros. will distribute the pic, based on Greg Rucka's 1999 comicbook miniseries of the same name. Scribes Jon and Erich Hoeber are adapting for the bigscreen.

Story revolves around a lone U.S. marshal (Beckinsale) stationed in Antarctica who is drawn into a shocking murder investigation. With only three days until winter, she must solve the crime before the continent is plunged into darkness and she is trapped with the killer. Whiteout is set to begin lensing March 5 in Montreal.

Danielle Harris Signs On for Rob Zombie’s Halloween

Posted by support@reallyscary.com (ReallyScary.com) on January 10, 2007 Fango reports Danielle Harris is confirmed for the Rob Zombie-helmed Halloween. Zombie confirmed the report via his MySpace blog. Zombie said the Halloween 4 & 5 alum will not be filling Laurie Strode's shoes. Instead, she's playing Annie Brackett, Laurie's doomed friend who was played by Nancy Loomis in John Carpenter's original. Casting for Strode's character has not been announced yet.

Snoop Dogg’s Hood of Horror Set for Feb Release

Posted by support@reallyscary.com (ReallyScary.com) on January 10, 2007 AllHipHop reports Xenon Pictures announced Snoop's horror movie Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror will hit theathers nationwide in February.

The comedy/drama is an anthology of three horror tales told by the Hound of Hell (Snoop Dogg) involving the residents of an inner-city neighborhood whose actions determine where they will go in the next life. The movie also stars Billy Dee Williams, Jason Alexander, Ernie Hudson and others

New Line Won’t Work w/ Peter Jackson on Hobbit

Posted by support@reallyscary.com (ReallyScary.com) on January 10, 2007 In the latest comment in the controversy surrounding a proposed movie based on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, New Line head Robert Shaye told SCI FI Wire in no uncertain terms that the studio won't work with Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson on that film or any other film. Ever. At least not as long as Shaye is in charge.

Shaye's comments marked the first time a New Line executive has commented publicly on the fracas since Jackson announced that he has pulled out of the project and also appears to harden New Line's position against Jackson.

"I do not want to make a movie with somebody who is suing me," Shaye - New Line's chief executive officer - said in an interview on Jan. 5 while promoting The Last Mimzy, a New Line family fantasy that marks his first time in a director's chair since 1990's Book of Love. "It will never happen during my watch."

Jackson had told TheOneRing.net in November that he and partner Fran Walsh were bowing out after New Line, which produced the Rings films and has production rights to The Hobbit, told them the studio was moving ahead with the project without them. Jackson has said he won't discuss The Hobbit until a lawsuit against New Line over Rings accounting practices was settled.

Mummy 3 in the Works

Posted by support@reallyscary.com (ReallyScary.com) on January 10, 2007 Variety reports Rob Cohen is in talks with Universal Pictures to take the reins on a third edition of its Mummy franchise.

Not much has been disclosed about the story crafted for Mummy 3 by scribes Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, but the pic has been in active development for about a year as Universal looks to keep one of its remaining franchises up and running.

Though no deals are in place for franchise stars Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz to return, both thesps have had discussions about reprising their roles.

Weinsteins Nab Rights to Nightmare Detective

Posted by support@reallyscary.com (ReallyScary.com) on December 21, 2006 According to The Hollywood Reporter (via Fango), The Weinstein Company has picked up the North American rights to Nightmare Detective, the latest offering by Japanese maverick director Shinya Tsukamoto (Tetsuo).

The Weinsteins will handle the movie for Britain, Australia and New Zealand as well; what their release plans are, or whether they plan to sit on the film and remake it in English as some have speculated, have yet to be announced.

Scheduled to open in Japan Jan. 13, Nightmare Detective stars Ryuhei Matsuda in the title role, attempting to get to the bottom of a pair of mysterious suicides with the help of a man who can enter the dreams of others.