Thought you guys may be interested in this, though the film itself make be far less than interesting:
"(8/5/01) Variety reported Friday that Beacon Communications (Bring It On, End of Days, Air Force One) has hired screenwriter James Gunn, who impressed them with his Scooby-Doo script, to work on a remake of Romero's Dawn of the Dead. To remake Dawn in this day and age probably means it would be about a group of "mall rat" teenagers trapped there by a group of zombies, which I'm sure most Romero fans agree, would be idiotic. At least the Tom Savini remake of NOTLD had some sort of tie to the original (Romero produced it and wrote a new screenplay). This remake, on the other hand has no ties to Romero other than the rights to be made, and it's also not necessary. With NOTLD, the argument could be made that the original was made so cheaply that a remake would benefit from new FX. But with Dawn, you've already got amazing zombie makeup, and a creepy horror movie (often voted the trilogy's best). One has to truly wonder if the money going into this wouldn't just be better spent supporting this fourth film from Romero himself, but he's probably not wanting to make a movie that Beacon would want to distribute. Heck, Beacon might want PG-13. The good news is that Beacon's remake is probably a few years from getting made, if it ever does. Maybe Romero will get this project done first, making Beacon will change their mind about the remake."Taken from
Upcomingmovies.com.
...staring vacantly at the screen and whispering "No no no no no no no..."
Please. We're talking King Kong or Lost Horizon here: the remake will be forgotten in a matter of minutes, the original will live on.
--Have you see the trailer for Jeepers Creepers? This should be retitled Generic Monster Movie.
I don't like that idea at all, Dawn should just be left alone. The night of the living dead remake was susprisingly good in it's own way but this sounds like it does not offer any credibility. If anything what real Romero fans want is another installment in the Dead trilogy and not trendy remakes.
re Jeepers Creepers:
Tony Timpone at fangoria magazine says that it's one of the scariest movies of the summer, right up there with Session 9. What little I have read about it sounds...interesting (and, sadly, it's far too easy to make a generic crap looking by the numbers trailer for what is actually a fine genre movie). But it is from the director of Clownhouse and Powder. That being said I have a strong urge to skip it. Being the father of a young boy I have really big issues with the guy (hey, didn't think to call him creep right off the bat, so perhaps I am making some progress). Perhaps, in time, I will watch it, but knowing what he did...I know, I know - keep the artist separated from his/her art, but I still have those issues to work through. I hope he is reformed, but I shuddered when I saw a picture of him with his arms around the young leads...
issues, I got issues...
re: Twilight (?) of the Dead:
In a posting over at georgearomero.com the living legend hisownself says he has just about completed the next dead script, all he needs now is financing. Anybody got 3 to 6 million?*
*because he has done some Hollywood work Romero is a member of the Guild, so he is required to higher Union labor, which automatically creates a bargain basement budget of 3 million, can't go lower than that. Come on guys , let's pass the collection plate!
The problem with this remake is that millions of unknowing twats will think it's ace! Are they really THAT devoid of ideas or is it down to cold, hard cash?
Why risk money on something unknown when you can exploit something with a built in audience and name recognition. Got love the mind set..."You did a great job writing that script based on that Saturday Morning Cartoon, now do one based on this midnight movie."
Evil Ed says, "Remakes Suck, if anything re-release it to the theaters, i'd love to see it on the Big Screen."
Let me start off by saying Dawn is one of my favorite horror movies of all time. Even if my friends and family think its lame (according to one of them, "it's just mindless killing". Then he goes on how he thinks Independence Day is "amazing".) so i'm going to be a little byst when someone tells me that they can approve on it. That's bs. The original was great. Great story, good acting (for a b-movie), and great special effects. Plus, you just know they'll cast some crappy actor like Freddie Prince whatever in it. Hollywood.
On the subject on the next Living dead flick, I nearly had a heart attack when I heard about this. How sweet is that going to be?
It doesn't end there. They're also doing a remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The entertainment industry isn't going to stop until they kill my will to live. I saw an ad for MTV where a bunch of kids said they hate metal. So MTV replies, "less metal, we play the music YOU want to here. I'm not a metal head. But, MTV does not play the music I want to hear. And I am still p**sed at them for comparing DLR era Van Halen to Vanilla Ice in terms of talent. Now Britney "No Talent" Spears, NSYNC, Fred Durst and all of these teeny bopper bands are doing movies. By the way, the guy writing the remake of Dawn of the Dead, is the same guy that wrote the live action Scooby Doo movie and said in an interview that he wanted to make this movie because, get this, he "likes shopping". Ugggghh.
In the last decade I have seen the death of comedians like Bill Hicks and Sam Kinison, yet Carrot Top is all over TV. Dee Dee Ramone is dead. Aerosmith played with Nsync and Britney Spears. I've also seen former great directors like Dario Argento, Tim Burton, John Carpenter and Brian DePalma crumble. Now one of the best films of all time is about to get reamed royally. I was mad at first. Now I'm just depressed.
Jacob - Independence Day is amazing - amazingly awful. I'm starting to get that sinking feeling about this proposed re-make. GW - Bill Hicks was one the best comedians I have ever seen or heard. His "Relentless" and "Revelations" shows were absolute classics. He was really taken with the Brit slang word for "tired" - "Knackered".
Clearly, I envisioned a DUSK of the DEAD, which could boast an inflated idea of worldwide domination of the zombies and be much MEANER than the others films which became progressively more grouchy (annoying things, these zombies.) To fit logically (for me) into the DEAD scheme, this final installment would have to be over the top ideally, and ROMERO budgetwise.
Eek! almost missed. - the movies George should have made. In chronological order:
THE WEE SMALL HOURS BEFORE DAWN OF THE DEAD
BREAKFAST OF THE DEAD
ELEVENSES OF THE DEAD
LUNCHEON OF THE DEAD
TIFFIN (aka AFTERNOON TEA WITH CREAM SCONES) OF THE DEAD
DUSK OF THE DEAD
AND SO TO BED-TIME OF THE DEAD.
Sir! you forgot Morning ablutions of the dead and guick stop in the loo of the dead. Even the living dead need to look their best...thier best worst...um...you know what i mean!
Coming soon to the local octoplex...
The Night Living Dead Return at the Dawn of a New Day in Hell.
Of course I know what you mean, Mr. Flange. I wouldn't like to have to clean the bathroom afterwards though. Although they couldn't possibly be in a worse state than some of the bogs I've encountered at certain free music festivals. Bleeeuuuggghhh.
They would have a right job on their hands fitting that title on the marquee, Chad. Perhaps an acronym. Actually you could do it in the "do-re-mi" style - "tnl-dra-tdo-and-ih" - bugger, one short.
Though I really detest remakes in the extreme, most of these big-budget film corporation's feel that the remakes will be better because "they are up-to-date". I really don't buy that after you look at the quality of the remake.
Like I said, they are just in it for the "argent" (French for "money")
You 'ave eet ze nail on ze 'ed Monsieur Krees.
For Guitarwolf you forgot Sam Raimi he has crumble for Hollywood too. As for the comedians I also really miss Bill Hicks,and Sam Kinison,and Robin Harris I wish HBO played theirs specials again than putting on those horror shows nobody care for like Sex In The City and Arlias or something like that. As for the remake it gonna suck big time I think George Romero and Tom Savini should make a new one with a man who's half human and half zombie who eats zombies and bring the people who's sick and almost dead back to life now that be a twist on the dead thing.