Movies
Dark Castle Making Massive Commitment to ‘Splice’ Release?
There’s nothing that excites me more than a wide range of reviews. After playing the Sundance Film Festival last month, Vincenzo Natali’s Frankenstein-esque sci-fi horror flick Splice received a rash of glowing reviews, along with the negative (see Ryan Daley’s review), piquing my interest more than it already was. Anyways, early word presumed that Sony might score distribution rights for the U.S., only it looks as if Dark Castle may have won out making a huge bet on the Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley starrer. Deadline reports that “Joel Silver and his Dark Castle label is in the last stages of closing a distribution deal for the genetic mutation thriller Splice,” adding, “It will give the film a wide summer release on 3,000 screens, and a P&A commitment north of $25 million, and more likely in the vicinity of $35 million to $40 million.” That’s a HUGE gamble for Dark Castle. Color me excited.
“Clive and Elsa are young, brilliant and ambitious. The new animal species they engineered have made them rebel superstars of the scientific world. In secret, they introduce human DNA into the experiment. The result is something that is greater than the sum of its parts: a female animal-human hybrid that may be a step up on the evolutionary ladder. They think they may have created the perfect organism, until she makes a final shocking metamorphosis that could destroy them … and the rest of humanity.”
Curry Barker is a hot commodity in Hollywood in the wake of Obsession‘s $300 million box office success, with original horror-comedy Anything But Ghosts and the next installment in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise already on Barker’s dance card. What else can we expect from Barker in the coming years? For starters, another original horror movie.
The Hollywood Reporter broke the news tonight that Curry Barker will write and direct an untitled horror movie for Blumhouse Atomic Monster and Universal.
THR reports, “In closing what is described as a rich eight-figure deal, Barker will write, produce and direct his third film for Blumhouse Atomic Monster and Universal.”
“All details are being kept secret, but it is described as a Barker original horror idea,” the outlet notes. “The project was bought off of a pitch Barker made to Universal’s top brass.”
“This film is something I’ve been excited to make for a while, and I’m thrilled to be reteaming with Blumhouse Atomic Monster and Universal Film Group for it,” Curry Barker himself said in a statement tonight. “They’ve built the kind of home for bold, original storytelling that every filmmaker dreams of, and I couldn’t imagine better collaborators for this film.”
James Wan and Jason Blum said in a joint statement, “With Obsession, Curry did what only a handful of filmmakers manage in a generation: he made something wholly original that connected with a massive audience, and that connection is what we care about most. The best filmmakers can work anywhere, and we are proud to have a growing slate with Curry. Getting to put this project in front of the fans his work speaks to is the whole reason we do this.”
Stay tuned for more on all things Curry Barker.
‘Obsession’
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