Back from beyond the grave with another update!
- Bigpoint’s Universal Monsters Online RPG has entered closed beta testing and is currently accepting player registration. This is an officially licensed game and looks to be a bit of simplistic old school fun. One can only hope that this becomes the first in an eventual line of games and other merchandise for our old genre faves. For more details and a chance to play, check out the official site.
- Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters will be gracing us with a full trailer in the coming weeks. I guess we’ll soon know whether it’s a trainwreck or not. I’m hoping for the latter, but the cliched black leather outfits of the stills we’ve seen do not inspire much confidence. The film, which was originally set to bow at the start of this year, is due out in January. The story is set 15 years after the events of the famous fairy tale and depicts the titular characters slaying the dark magically-inclined. Tommy Wirkola (Dead Snow) directs the flick, which stars Gemma Arterton, Jeremy Renner, Peter Stormare, Famke Janssen, and Derek Mears.
- Lucas Till (X-Men: First Class) will take the lead in Wolves, the directorial debut of screenwriter David Hayter. There are so few werewolf films that are even decent…let alone good, so let’s hope for the best on this one as well. Hayter is known best for his work on multiple superhero films over the past decade, as well as voicing “Solid Snake” in the Metal Gear franchise. He’ll always be Sean Barker (aka The Guyver) to me though*.
- SHOCKING NEWS: Dan Aykroyd still won’t shut up about Ghostbusters 3. The latest news is that, if it happens, Bill Murray likely won’t be involved in any capacity. No shit. Personal opinion? Take Bill’s advice and leave it be. While it is entirely possible that a good sequel COULD be made, I just don’t see it happening with most of the talent involved. LET. IT. DIE.
- Speaking of belated sequels, producer Frank Marshall is talking up Jurassic Park 4 again. Apparently the screenplay (from the writers of Rise of the Planet of the Apes) is coming along nicely and they are still hoping to have the film in theaters sometime in the next two years. The original will be re-released in 3D next July, so I wouldn’t be shocked if we get some sort of teaser in front of it if the project stays on track. I’m assuming Joe Johnston is still on board to direct.
- CW is considering doing a TV series adaptation of Battle Royale. While they already having a Hunger Games-esque show called The Selection on the way, don’t be surprised if they want another similar product running on their network. Whether it happens in this form or another, there’s no way we won’t be seeing an Americanized adaptation at some point over the coming years.
- Michael Biehn will be producing and starring in a remake of the Chilean thriller Hidden In The Woods. The remake is set to be penned by the writers of the original and will be shot on location in Chile. No word on a director at this time.
- Wes Craven has teamed with Steve Niles on an upcoming comic book called Coming of Rage for Liquid Comics. A film version is also in the works, which I assume Wes will direct.
Festival Teaser Poster
And here’s a smattering of home video release dates to cap things off…
- Juan of the Dead hits August 14th on DVD. No word on a Blu release as of yet.
- Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers debut on Blu on August 28th.
- Emily Hagins’ (Pathogen, Zombie Girl) latest, My Sucky Teen Romance, lands on shelves September 4th on Blu-ray & DVD.
- Killer Klowns From Outer Space, Jeepers Creepers, and Tobe Hooper’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 will be making their Blu-ray debut on September 11th.
- Halloween 2, Halloween 3: Season of the Witch, Black Sunday, Lisa and the Devil, and Hatchet For The Honeymoon also arrive on the format on September 18th. H2 will differ from the previous Universal release and will be a packed special edition, but will NOT contain Terror In The Aisles…so keep that in mind.
- Paul Bartel’s excellent Eating Raoul arrives from Criterion on September 25th.
Pre-order this puppy from Shout! Factory and you can get a poster of this cover for a limited time!
Source | STYD, Dread Central, Bloody-Disgusting
* – Fun fact: David Hayter pitched an idea for a third Guyver film, but the rights reverted back to the Japanese owners before anything could come of it. Excuse me while I go cry now.