Paranormal Activity writer/director Oren Peli sure likes his unexplained phenomena. Next week he’s starting up production on Area 51, a film that sadly is not related to the arcade game and instead seems like another Blair Witch/The Last Broadcast riff. The film will consist of “found footage” from three curious teens who venture into Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada to find Area 51.

Peli has gotten quite a bit more of a budget – from the 11 grand it took to make Paranormal Activity (damn!) to a hefty five million in financing from Aramid Entertainment Fund and Incentive Filmed Entertainment. Safe to assume that there’s some alien effects there, I suppose. Paranormal Activity producer Jason Blum will be returning to fill the role once again.

“I’d rather not say anything about ‘Area 51’ except that I am very pleased to be working with the same team who stood by me for the two or three years it took ‘Paranormal Activity’ to get into theaters,” Peli said.

But wait, is that all? How about a Paranormal Activity 2? We all know how easy it is to catch that lightning in a bottle twice in a row, right? Just look at Blair Witch 2!

“Everyone looks for a franchise, and we really think Incentive has found its first one in this new property from Oren and Jason,” David Molner (chairman of Incentive and Aramid) told Daily Variety. “These are two first-class talents.”

Not sure that the film has franchise written all over, but we’ll see about his next. I want to believe that an Area 51 movie could be a blast.

Via Variety