Movies
‘The Wolf Man’ Gets Awesome Writer For Lame New Universe
Much like superhero movies, there’s only so many times you can do an origin story before it gets repetitive. But, what if the origin story isn’t even all that interesting?
The Universal Monsters were badass back in the 30’s and 40’s, but have since become the basis of generic Halloween costumes and cool shelf toys. I love Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, Creature From the Black Lagoon, and all the other classics – but it doesn’t mean I want to see them modernized.
I didn’t really know what Universal had up their sleeve until the laughable closing credits to Dracula Untold, which promised modern “games” between Dracula and his creator – because, you know, he waited thousands of years to play.
Anyways, everything about Untold was stupid. And if the idiotic and bland Untold is the model being used, I expect a lot more stupid to follow.
Fortunately, Uni has their eyes on an incredible writer for another reboot of The Wolf Man, says Deadline, reporting that Prisoners scribe Aaron Guzikowski is being courted.
Prisoners was one of the hottest scripts this decade, and gives me some faith that the story can be cracked. I mean, the best thing about The Mummy reboot with Brendan Fraser is that the movie wasn’t about the mummy. My hope is that Wolf Man rejects Untold‘s origin path and tells the story from a different perspective. The thought of a Wolf Man Untold makes me wanna puke my guts out.
Movies
‘Backrooms’ Director Kane Parsons Is No Fan of Generative AI: “Defeats the Purpose Entirely for Me”
There has been a lot of talk recently about filmmakers embracing generative AI as part of the filmmaking process, from Darren Aronofsky to Martin Scorsese. But what about filmmakers that are against the use of Gen AI for creative pursuits? You can count 20-year-old Backrooms director Kane Parsons among that group, which should give you some hope for the future.
In a new chat with The Australian, the self-taught young filmmaker makes it crystal clear that he won’t be using generative AI in any of his upcoming filmmaking projects.
“I think I’m in the same boat as most well-adjusted people,” Parsons tells the outlet. “If I could snap my fingers and make generative AI disappear forever, I probably would. Creatively, I get no enjoyment from using those tools. It defeats the purpose entirely for me.”
“What interests me more is interrogating it artistically,” Parsons notes. “We already live in a world where you walk outside and there are billboards and signs that are obvious AI slop. That’s become part of our visual reality. To me, generative AI feels less like innovation than a symptom of a broader cultural and economic rot.”
He explains, “I’m interested in using that iconography in art – not using AI to make the art itself, but examining what it represents. I definitely want to explore it further in future projects.”
Kane Parsons also notes during the interview with The Australian, “… there’s so much at stake and so many genuinely harmful consequences already happening.”
Backrooms marks young prodigy Kane Parsons’ feature directorial debut, and it’s based on his own series of YouTube videos that were brought to life using Blender, the open-source 3D computer graphics software suite. So it’s no surprise that Parsons, who has hand-made his filmmaking career up to this point, isn’t buying into the hoopla around Generative AI.
His debut feature is the #1 movie in the world, so perhaps he’s onto something.
What’s next from Kane Parsons, you ask? Stay tuned…
You must be logged in to post a comment.