Apparently experiencing a Chilean earthquake in 2010 shook loose some good idea in Eli Roth’s head, as he’s impressed buyers with his latest effort – a genre disaster film that will mark the english-language debut of Chilean filmmaker Nicolas Lopez. Details on the plot are vague but suggest the film is centered around “…an insane asylum on an island, where the inmates escape during the quake.”

The thing is that the same earthquake that vibrated the idea for his next low-budget genre flick must have dislodged a large object onto the Hostel-director’s head, as he’s decided that bit-parts in Tarantino movies are not enough, and that he must star in the film.

While I’ve never wanted to see a screen character murdered more violently than Roth’s character in Death Proof, I always gave Roth credit because, well, that character is intended to be an insufferable douche. As for Inglourious Basterds, he did an approximately “okay” job, but an awful lot of people hate him in that too. And as if the acting in the film wasn’t already going to raise eyebrows sufficiently, Selena Gomez is reported to be in the film for some amount of time. Apparently they shot a cameo of some sort while she was in the country for a concert? I don’t know what’s going on guys, I’ll be honest.

Whatever these guys are up to, it’s getting distributors erect and companies with names like “Weinstein” and “Relativity” are apparently hot to buy the film and make that next ultra-low-budget dollar.

Here’s Roth talking up the project:

“I’ve been a huge fan of Nicolas Lopez since his remarkable debut Promedio Rojo and have watched him grow into one of the best young filmmakers out there… He has the incredible combination of commercial sensibility with an artistic eye, and what he has done here in Chile with their film industry is revolutionary. This collaboration marks the beginning of what we call Chilewood, making genre films for the global market using all the resources Chile has to offer. We are making a smart elevated disaster genre movie with superb production value, something really big. The film’s going to be very scary, very intense, and very real.”

I will say that I give Roth much respect or getting outside of the system and bringing unconventional talent into the game. Don’t forget he’s a key player in the RZA’s directorial debut, and that’s a project I’d never have predicted existing in the form it does.

I’m curious though- how many chewers will find Roth in front of the camera a deal-breaker, and how many are willing to grant him a shot at leading a disaster movie?

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Source | Deadline