Movies
OMFG #2: Lionsgate Throws Violent Blow at Paramount: ‘Saw’ vs ‘Paranormal Activity’… IT’S ON!
And you thought the Halloween II / The Final Destination battle was good…. the war between Paramount Pictures and Lionsgate has officially begun – and it’s positioning itself to be EPIC. As many of you know, Saw VI director Kevin Greutert was attached to get behind the camera for Paranormal Activity 2. Paramount furthered the attack by placing the sequel head-to-head with Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures’ Saw VII 3D on October 22. If last year was any indication, Paranormal definitely had the upper hand in the competition, a battle that hadn’t really begun until now. Lionsgate has thrown a VIOLENT blow back at Paramount by exercising an option that has forced Greutert to head back to Toronto for the seventh Saw film instead of showing off his talents in Paranormal 2. It wasn’t his decision as he’s now officially a casualty of war. David Hackl on the other hand, he’ll be moving over to an unnamed Lionsgate project (thank God). Want more? Read on. Talk, talk, talk, talk, TALK. OMFG.
The following comes courtesy of Deadline:
“It’s a move that ratchets up the rivalry between Paramount and Lionsgate for Halloween 2010 dominance. Saw franchise partners Twisted Pictures and Lionsgate have just exercised an option and installed Saw VI director Kevin Greutert as director of Saw 3D, the seventh volume of the fright series. That blocks Paramount, which had hired Greutert to direct Paranormal Activity 2. Both films are set for release on October 22nd, and the move came after Paramount set that date. Meanwhile Twisted Pictures, which held an option on the director from back when he helmed Saw VI, bumped previously announced Saw 3D director David Hackl, who directed Saw V and who will be assigned another film quickly, sources tell me. Both directors have been involved in the Saw films from the beginning. The rivalry between the films began last fall, when Paramount’s sleeper hit Paranormal Activity bloodied Twisted/Lionsgate’s Saw VI at the box office en route to a $150 million worldwide gross on a $15,000 budget. It will be interesting to see how Paramount responds. But I like this battling a lot.”
I was a pretty big fan of Kevin Greutert’s work in the sixth Saw, which is why I’m excited to see him back for the seventh film. But in all honesty, I would have really enjoyed to see what he could have done in a completely different sub-genre with Paranormal 2. I think this is such a dick move by Twisted Pictures/Lionsgate, especially at the expense of Kevin, but this makes for some good PR.
Damned if I can’t wait to see how Paramount strikes back — if they even need to. STAY TUNED THERE IS MORE TO THIS STORY TO COME!
Director David Robert Mitchell (It Follows) is back this summer with dinosaurs-in-suburbia mystery box movie The End of Oak Street, and new official posters have arrived.
Check out the brand new The End of Oak Street posters below and look for the sci-fi/horror movie in theaters August 14, 2026 from Warner Bros. and producer J.J. Abrams.
Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor come face-to-face with a monstrous threat in The End of Oak Street, which looks like M. Night Shyamalan with retro-style Amblin vibes.
As Mitchell explained to Entertainment Weekly, inspirations for the film include Jurassic Park, The Twilight Zone, Poltergeist, The Valley of Gwangi, and M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs.
The End of Oak Street is set in the early 1980s…
In the film, “After a mysterious cosmic event rips Oak Street from suburbia and transports their neighborhood to someplace unknown, the Platt family soon discovers that their very survival depends on them sticking together as they navigate their now unrecognizable surroundings.”
Maisy Stella and Christian Convery also star.
The film is written and directed by David Robert Mitchell and produced by J.J. Abrams, Hannah Minghella, Jon Cohen, David Robert Mitchell, Matt Jackson and Tommy Harper. The executive producers are Chris Bender, Jake Weiner, Joanne Lee and Leeann Stonebreaker.
David Robert Mitchell’s team behind the camera for WB’s The End of Oak Street includes director of photography Michael Gioulakis, production designer Maya Shimoguchi, editor John Axelrad, composer Michael Giacchino and costume designer Erin Benach.
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