Movies
Lussier Talks Old ‘Halloween 3’ Plans, Cage Says ‘Drive Angry’ is Supernatural
We’ve got an interesting mix-mash of news both coming from the world of Patrick Lussier and Todd Farmer. As most of you should already know, before moving forward on their 3-D action revenge flick Drive Angry, the My Bloody Valentine duo were originally working on Dimension Films’ Halloween 3D. With new rumors circulating on the web (thanks to a fake Twitter account), Lussier speaks with a bit of hesitation on Michael Myers’ latest trip to Haddonfield. On the other spectrum, Drive Angry star Nicolas Cage reveals that this bloody revenge flick might actual be “supernatural”. Read on for the skinny on both.
With his focus on Summit Entertainment’s Drive Angry 3D, director Patrick Lussier talked briefly with MTV about Halloween 3D, which was nixed late last year. Could it still go later this year?
“That’ll all depend on Dimension Films and timing,” Lussier told MTV adding a bit about the story they (both Todd Farmer and himself) had planned. “The film that we wrote took place, like, the next frame after Rob’s ‘Halloween II’ ended and immediately went into stripping Michael Myers back to his John Carpenter roots…That’s what we did very quickly. And then you pick up the story a year later as Halloween rolls around again. Everybody’s back in the fray. That was our goal.”
Would he return? “If things were to work out,” he said, trailing off. “Right now, my focus is on Drive Angry.”
Speaking of Drive Angry, star Nicolas Cage revealed this whopper to MTV at the WonderCon this past weekend.
“Drive Angry is also another foray into the supernatural,” Cage said of what attracted him to project, revealing a ghostly element of the story line that is being kept largely under wraps. “There’s a supernatural element to it as well, which is keeping with what my interests are right now.”
Speaking of his character, Cage wanted to finally do away with his silly hair.
“Originally I was going to shave my head and tattoo my scalp,” Cage explained of his new look. “But the producer didn’t want me to do that. So then I decided that I was gonna [embrace] the Celtic roots on the other side of my family. So I dyed the hair lighter because I think that’s what the character should look like.”
You can watch that full interview below.
Just three years after Evil Dead Rise set the box office on fire with a $147 million worldwide haul, Evil Dead Burn was unleashed into theaters this past weekend. Unfortunately, the opening weekend for Evil Dead Burn wasn’t quite as strong as the debut for its predecessor.
Evil Dead Burn debuted in 3,004 theaters across North America and scared up $13.7 million in its domestic debut, about $10 million less than Evil Dead Rise‘s $24.5 million opening.
Worldwide, Evil Dead Burn debuted with $25 million. Given the film’s production budget was somewhere in the ballpark of $20 million, all is certainly not lost for Evil Dead Burn. That said, Warner Bros. and New Line no doubt hoped that Burn would top or at least match the domestic opening of Rise, but instead we’re looking at a case of diminishing franchise returns.
The good news for fans? Next installment Evil Dead Wrath has already wrapped production for expected release in 2028, so there’s no danger of the franchise ending with Evil Dead Burn.
Evil Dead Wrath from director Francis Galluppi (The Last Stop in Yuma County) is currently set for theatrical release on April 7, 2028, though that could change in the coming months.
Will the Evil Dead franchise be taking a break after Evil Dead Wrath? That all depends on how Wrath performs at the box office. But for what it’s worth, the post-credits scene at the end of Evil Dead Burn suggests that the franchise’s creators are hopeful for a bright future ahead.
The critical reception for Evil Dead Burn was a bit less positive than the reception to Evil Dead Rise, with Rise hitting 85% on Rotten Tomatoes and Burn currently sitting at 71%. It’s interesting to note, however, that the “Popcornmeter” on Rotten Tomatoes is a bit higher for Burn than it was for Rise, with Burn‘s currently at 80% and Rise‘s sitting a tad lower at 76%.
The site’s “Popcornmeter” scores are decided by users, rather than verified movie critics.
Which do you prefer? Evil Dead Rise or Evil Dead Burn? Sound off below.
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