This weekend I had a chance to talk with Phil Hay, the writer of Aeon Flux, coming to DVD this month. The interview is an interesting one, I think, because we talked about what didn’t work with the film, and what happened to the movie between Karyn Kusama’s director’s cut and the final version that hit theaters and will be on DVD. Look for that interview later this month.
While I had Phil on the phone, I wanted to find out about his upcoming projects, and he spilled some cool beans to me – he and his writing partner Matt Manfredi are writing an adaptation of the comic book RIPD for Wedding Crashers helmer David Dobkin to direct.
Says Phil: “It’s kind of about a spectral police force. It’s very much a Ghostbusters or Men In Black vibe. It’s an action comedy, very heavy on the comedy. That process has been really great, and I think it’s going to be a good movie. Dobkin is incredibly good at this stuff.” As for when the film will be out? “We are working as fast as we can. I don’t know anything officially, but we’re all very excited about it and we’re trying to get it out there as soon as we can.”
RIPD wouldn’t be Dobkin’s next – he’s got a Santa Claus movie starring Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti first.
Phil and Matt also wrote a script called Parasyte, which currently has Japanese director Takashi Shimizu on board. I asked him what that one was about: “We haven’t been involved in the project in a while and I know there were other drafts and things, so I’m not exactly sure what direction he’s planning to go with it. I certainly think it can be a very interesting and cool movie. The version we wrote was definitely in the Tremors vibe. It was very much a horror-comedy. I don’t know if that’s [Shimizu’s] direction, or if it’s going to be more straight horror this time around.”
Phil and Matt also have a more adult horror film in the works that they’ll direct, and they’re writing another film for Karyn Kusama to direct – a war movie. Look for the details on these when the full interview runs!