Exclusives
Writer/Producers Kurtzman & Orci Chew the Fat on ‘Xombie’
Alex Kurtzman & Robert Orci, the writing/producing team behind such films as Transformers and Star Trek, attended the Saturn Awards last Thursday night, and B-D got the opportunity to catch up with them in the press room for some details on their upcoming adaptation (they are producing) of the Flash cartoon/comic book series Xombie. Check out their comments below.
“We have set our targets on a writer who we really like who’s got a great take on it, and that’s a matter of going in and pitching it over to our friends at the studio and having them pay the guy,” said the producing team. “If you read the comic, there is something unique about it terms of the fact that the zombie in a sense is a protagonist in it. And the idea of finding a humanity [in a zombie] is the opposite of any kind of zombie movie that we’ve ever seen and that’s what attracted us to it…I think it’ll be [set in] present day. So think of it as not un-fun, but I think there’s a grittiness to the comic that we wanna preserve…but I don’t wanna commit our writer to too much until he actually writes it.”
As for franchise potential, “We never look at anything [that way]…never count your sequels before they hatch. One movie at a time.”
“Xombie” is based on a Devil’s Due comic book by James Farr, itself based on his online animated series. Farr’s creation centers on a zombie cop named Dirge who attempts to saves humanity’s remnants, particularly a young girl named Zoe, from evil zombies.
Exclusives
New Documentaries Explore the Cult Legacies of ‘The Keep’ and ‘Wolfen’; Watch the Trailers Now [Exclusive]
Undersung werewolf gem Wolfen and Michael Mann’s The Keep get the spotlight in a pair of feature documentaries acquired by Antenna Releasing.
A World War II Fairy Tale, which covers the infamous production of and reception to The Keep, will receive a limited theatrical release in October, followed by a TVOD release on Apple/Amazon. The Keep will also screen as a double feature for some showings.
For Uncovering Wolfen, Antenna eyes a limited theatrical release for 2027. Both films are currently available for booking via Antenna prior to their theatrical and digital releases.
Both documentaries are directed by Stewart Buck, who co-helms with Stéphane Piter on A World War II Fairy Tale.
“We at Antenna are obsessed with film history,” said Chief Acquisitions Officer Billy Ray Brewton. “Stewart has done such a remarkable job of really diving into the deepest recesses of how these films were made and, in doing so, has created the definitive histories of both projects.”
“We’re delighted to be partnering with Antenna Releasing!” said director Buck. “It’s refreshing to see a filmmaker-friendly approach to distribution with people who know what it’s like to be in the trenches with independent projects that struggle to find a home in the crowded marketplace.”
Check out our exclusive trailer and poster reveal of both documentaries below.
Released in 1983, Michael Mann’s The Keep was a notorious box office bomb, critically lambasted and all but forgotten for years, save for the fascination with Tangerine Dream’s iconic score. In recent years, the film has enjoyed a bit of a resurgence and is widely considered a cult classic, though director Michael Mann and many cast members refuse to acknowledge it.
Wolfen, on the other hand, was critical success but was overshadowed heavily by its flashier 1981 siblings An American Werewolf in London and The Howling. It’s also a trailblazer for socio-political horror, and the doc will explore that via the craftspeople who made it.
Look for them both in theaters soon. Stay tuned for more as it arrives.
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