Exclusives
Update: First Predator, Now It’s ‘Alien’ Being Remade
I know I defend (some) remakes, but there are those occasions that cause me to vomit a little in my mouth and then brush my teeth for hours trying to get the taste out. I just got back from spending an hour in the bathroom and no matter how hard I brushed, how much toothpaste I used, or how much mouthwash I swished, the taste just wouldn’t go away. Alien is getting the ol’ reboot treatment, courtesy of the fine folks at 20th Century Fox. Read on for the skinny.
Update (12:07am, May 28): We just heard from a separate reliable source that Fox is possibly working on an origins story, as opposed to a straight-up remake. Still…
In January we broke the news that Robert Rodriguez’s Troublemaker Studios would be producing a reboot of Predator for 20th Century Fox. Our regular tipster was proven correct once again as the story was confirmed in April. Our tipster even scooped us on who would be penning the remake, now titled Predators.
So Mr. Anonymous is back again. And being that 20th Century Fox is remaking Predator, it doesn’t surprise me at all that Fox is also going back to their catalog for a reboot of Ridley Scott’s Alien.
What our tipster informed us is that – opposite the Predator situation – the plan is to stick with the original concept of only one alien on the ship.
Michael Costigan, Ridley Scott and even Tony Scott are all on board to produce and have tapped Carl Rinsch to get beyond the camera and bring a new Ripley to the big screen.
Who is Carl Rinsch? I’m being told he’s a commercial/music video director and does work for Scott Free Productions, who is also producing the remake.
In the original, the terror begins when the crew of a spaceship investigates a transmission from a desolate planet, and discovers a life form that is perfectly evolved to annihilate mankind. One by one, each crew member is slain until only Ripley is left, leading to an explosive conclusion that sets the stage for its stunning sequel, Aliens (my favorite film of all-time).
We’ll keep you posted on any updates, but that’s what we got for you this evening. Remember to take it as rumor until confirmed as many projects change through the course of development.
Out today in select theaters and on digital platforms is heartfelt and playful documentary Mockbuster, which sees a director cold call a studio and ask to helm a lost-world dinosaur epic.
Inexplicably, they say yes.
Our exclusive clip below highlights both the comedic nature of this bizarre scenario as well as the pressures of shooting dino feature The Land That Time Forgot in a mere six days, with no real feature experience.
A dino attack scene causes friction on set in this scene.
In the documentary, “A struggling filmmaker’s opportunity collides with chaos and compromise when Sharknado’s notorious studio, The Asylum, invites him to direct a ‘mockbuster.’ With six days, a micro budget, and mounting pressure, Mockbuster is a comedic, behind-the-scenes documentary exploring the balance between low-budget filmmaking and creative ambition.”
More than just an inside look at filmmaking via low-budget film studio The Asylum, it doubles as one man’s pursuit of his dreams to charming, humorous effect.
“Mockbuster is a documentary about my own journey, but it’s also a love letter to one of the last grindhouses still functioning in Hollywood. We get to meet the characters and creators of some of the most infamous (and most hated) B-movies of the last few decades. People who make movies purely for profit – no pretension, no artistry, just monsters, C-listers, and chaos. A film that both genre fans and cinephiles can enjoy. But Mockbuster isn’t just about filmmaking, it’s about losing sight of your dreams, and reclaiming them in your own twisted way,” Director Anthony Frith said in a statement.
From Executive Producer and famed documentarian David Farrier, Mockbuster opens in select theaters and on digital platforms beginning July 10.