Area51 Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Interview: Oren Peli, Writer-Director of 'Paranormal Activity'
Filed under: Horror », Paramount », Interviews »
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Two years ago a man named Oren Peli decided to make a movie. He didn't know exactly how, but he knew he had a good premise, and he knew he had some helpful friends, so he spent roughly $15,000, hired a few actors and then spent a mere seven days filming in his own home. What came out of that was Paranormal Activity, a haunted-house labor of love that barely made its way around the festival circuit before being purchased by DreamWorks (only after Steven Spielberg reportedly experienced some paranormal activity of his own after watching a DVD of the film by himself).
The studio's initial plan was to buy the film with the intent of having Peli remake it, but reactions to a test screening intended to attract new writing talent were so strong, the producers at DreamWorks decided that trying to bottle lightning twice was pointless. The film was slated for release in 2008, but got delayed due to an internal conflict between DreamWorks and Paramount. But studio politics couldn't hold the film back forever, not when calculated screenings at events like Fantastic Fest yielded monster buzz and sold out midnight showings.
Now after an unprecedented launch campaign in which fans literally got to demand that the film play near them, Paramount is ready to roll out Oren Peli's Paranormal Activity nationwide, a film I feel safe calling the scariest I've seen in years.
Cinematical: What is your background pre-Paranormal Activity? And how did you lead up to it?
Oren Peli: By trade, I am a software programmer, so I never really had any experience with movies before. I started out with Paranormal Activity.
So this was your very first stab at filmmaking?
Yes, pretty much, I never even made shorts or anything like that.
Is This The Next 'Paranormal Activity'?
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Deals »
Is there anyone out there who hates Paranormal Activity, Oren Peli's incredibly effective dive into "found footage" filmmaking? Judging by the fact that it sold out every single one of its midnight showings in 33 different cities last weekend, I think it's safe to say that people are loving the idea of being terrified Blair Witch style without having to commit to the false idea that what they're seeing is reportedly real footage. Sure, Peli's film made for roughly $15,000 is a genuinely frightening breath of fresh air, but what I admire most about is its refusal, from a marketing and narrative standpoint, to try and sucker viewers into thinking it is anything but a damn good haunted house simulation.So how does one follow up faux found footage from a haunted house? With faux found footage from Area 51, of course. Variety is reporting that two groups of investors have locked down $5,000,000 for Oren Peli to make a film that tells, "the story of three teens whose curiosity leads them to the notorious "Area 51" part of Nellis Air Force Base in the Nevada desert."
Read the rest of over at SciFiSquad.
'Lost' Star Andrew Divoff Reportedly Joins 'Indy 4'
Filed under: Action », Casting », Paramount », Remakes and Sequels »
So this latest Indiana Jones 4 news isn't exactly up there with the first picture of Harrison Ford in a fedora, but there is so much attention directed at the movie that we should just resign ourselves to reading every little update that comes our way. JoBlo is reporting that Andrew Divoff from TV's LOST has just signed on for an unnamed role. Since I don't have my flow charts with me, it is probably way too complicated to explain who Divoff plays on LOST, but let's just say he has some experience playing shadowy Russian types. So, his part in Indy just might be along those lines. The return of Indiana Jones has sparked a fan frenzy already with news of locations, casting, and things like the "will he or won't he" questions surrounding Sean Connery's return ... it's enough to exhaust anyone.
The basics that have been reported are that Indiana Jones and the City of the Gods will catch up with our favorite bull-whip wielding archaeologist during the Cold War and pit him against some nefarious Soviets who are after alien technology. While details on the plot are being hidden like national secrets, there is plenty of speculation about the story focusing on the infamous spot of Area 51. The Las Cruces Sun-News had reported that the film was set to start shooting in Deming, New Mexico, and the production had constructed an Air Force base that has some striking similarities to the Area 51 of conspiracy lore. Since the assumption so far has been that the bad-guys in the film would mostly be Russian, one could safely assume Divoff is on board to play a baddie. This is hardly the last we are going to hear from the project though, so we'll keep the updates coming.
Comic Book Master Hired to Pen 'Area 51' Movie
Filed under: Action », Horror », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Paramount », Games and Game Movies »
Funny how this cycle seems to work: Popular video game Area 51 was obviously inspired by a whole slew of "aliens run amok" movies, and now it looks like the game is about to yield a flick of its very own. (Two or three I bet.) According to Variety, comic book author Grant Morrison has been hired by Paramount to pen a screenplay for their Area 51 movie ... which will undoubtedly have a lot to do with commandos, machine guns, toxic waste, aliens and zombies.The first draft was by Paycheck writer Dean Georgaris, who's also attached to the project as a producer. No word yet on who'll be directing the flick, although Mr. Morrison does have a pretty impressive track record as far as comic books graphic novels are concerned, and that's a promising thing. He's behind some of the most popular series of the past few years, including titles like Fantastic Four, The New X-Men, Justice League of America and Arkham Asylum. For those who've never played, the Area 51 game was one in which you pointed a gun at the TV screen, so I'm guessing we'll be getting a movie similar to Doom or Resident Evil -- and perhaps even better than both of 'em. Fans of the game will be pleased to note that a follow-up called Blacksite is scheduled for release this summer.
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Exclusive: Poster Premiere for 'Extraordinary Measures'
