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‘Chronicle 2′ Writer Says Movie Is Definitely Happening, Is “60-75 Percent Sure” It Will Be Good

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on April 09, 2013 @ 9:01pm
Category: Movies / News

A few months ago we filed this report on the state of the upcoming sequel to Chronicle, in which John Landis (father of writer Max Landis) stated that Fox wasn’t entirely happy with the new script, “He wrote a sequel, and it’s amazing, and the studio read it and said, ‘We want ‘Chronicle’ again!’ And he said, ‘No, this is the sequel, it’s the evolution, and they said ‘No, we want that movie again!’ So it’s difficult, we’re dealing with a difficult business.”

Max Landis took some time over the weekend at Middle East Comic-Con to speak with IGN about the film. Among other things, he clarified that his father was perhaps talking out of turn. “[He's] not involved in Chronicle 2. He doesn’t know the process. It was not his place to say that.” Landis added that the new film would be dark, and perhaps that’s the stumbling block. “The report came out that they [the studio] didn’t like my script. They liked my script. It’s just a really dark script. The question is more of ‘How do we all compromise to get something we want?’ And that’s an incredibly slow process.”

This still sort of sounds like they didn’t like it if you define “liking it” as “wanting to make it.” However, Landis concluded the interview by saying the movie is definitely happening and, “60-75% sure that it will be a pretty damn good movie.” I actually really enjoyed the first film, placing it on several “Best Of 2012″ lists for the site. Let’s hope that the odds for the sequel increase steadily as the process chugs along.

‘Hanna’ Writer Boards Trank’s ‘Shadow Of The Colossus’

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on January 07, 2013 @ 9:12pm
Category: Movies / News

One of director Josh Trank’s post Chronicle projects (in addition to the upcoming Fantastic Four) is Shadow Of The Colossus, a video game adaptation for Sony. And now Seth Lochhead (Hanna) has been brought onboard to rewrite a previous draft by Justin Marks.

Per THR, “ the Canadian-born scribe who co-wrote the action film Hanna, has been tapped to work on Shadow of the Colossus, Sony’s adaptation of the popular PlayStation 2 video game.”

In the game, “The protagonist is a young man who thinks his lover has died. Desperate to bring her back, he heads into a forbidden land, and summons a demon who can wake the dead. The price for bringing back his girl: slay 16 colossi that dominate this mystical place. These are skyscraper-sized giants that rise from the ground, fly through the air and come from the water. As the young man works through his quest on horseback, he begins to wonder if he is on a noble pursuit to bring back his lover, or perhaps has made a deal with the devil and is being used.”

No word yet on when this starts shooting.

[Year End] What Counts As “Horror”?

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on December 31, 2012 @ 9:59am
Category: Movies / Editorials

Oh hey, I didn’t see you there!

What is horror? What counts as horror? You guys might have noticed a few films in my “Best And Worst” that don’t necessarily fit the conventionally accepted mold for a genre film. Chronicle and The Grey for example, are two movies that more than likely would not be filed on the “Horror” shelf at Blockbuster or under the “Horror” tab in iTunes.

The reason they’re featured here? Sometimes it’s fun to write about movies that, while they have horror elements, stretch the scope of the content we feature on the site. It’s fun to have more colors to play with and, more importantly, it’s fun to expose you guys to this stuff. I like talking to the readers about it, conversing with you in the comments about what does or doesn’t turn you on about any given film. It’s not for hits, believe me. If you think something like The Grey pulls in more traffic than Maniac or Texas Chainsaw 3D you’re wrong. I feel that discussing films that might seem tertiary to the genre improves the quality of the overall conversation. It provides a better context in which to discuss the nuts and bolts of the pure horror films that drive 95% of our “movies” page.

It’s also incredibly entertaining to talk about movies that skirt genres rather than embrace them wholeheartedly, since it allows us to look at the very criteria we use to define those genres. Let’s talk more inside (spoilers within)… READ MORE

Exclusive

Star Alex Russell Says Josh Trank May Not Return For ‘Chronicle 2′…

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on June 27, 2012 @ 7:45am
Category: Movies / Exclusives

Bloody Disgusting stringer Maria Lewis (@moviemazz) writes in with some first word on Chronicle 2!

It was one of the surprise hits of the year, so what’s unsurprising is that Chronicle is ‘definitely’ getting a sequel. Australian actor Alex Russell played one of the teen-turned-superheroes and said his character Matt is the focus of the follow-up film.

“That’s the plan,” he said.

“(Screenwriter) Max Landis is working hard on that right now.

“He’s dropping hints here and there all over the world, he loves to keep people sweating.”

Russell – who recently arrived in Toronto to begin work on the Carrie remake – said he speaks regularly with Landis about Chronicle 2, but the screenwriter is keeping him in the dark about specific plot points. READ MORE

Josh Trank To Chronicle The ‘Shadow Of The Colossus’

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on May 23, 2012 @ 4:02pm
Category: Movies / News

Director Josh Trank more than proved his mettle with Chronicle so it’s no surprise that he’s dancing with several different high profile properties. In addition to developing Fantastic Four for Fox he’s now tackling Shadow Of The Colossus for Sony (for whom he’s also developing Venom.

Per Deadline, “Josh Trank has signed with Sony Pictures to develop to direct Shadow Of The Colossus, a big scale live action adaptation of the bestselling Sony videogame. The film is being produced by Kevin Misher. The studio is interviewing writers to work with Trank, who after directing the $13 million sleeper hit Chronicle has become the go to guy for big popcorn pictures.”

As mentioned above, no writer has been hired as of yet. And needless to say there’s no release date for this yet either.

[DVD Review] ‘Chronicle,’ The American ‘Akira’

Movies
Posted by David Harley on May 20, 2012 @ 4:12pm
Category: Movies / Home Video

Reviewed by Mike Ferraro

It’s hard to really recommend a superhero film like this that isn’t a complete bore (like Thor), despite the fact that in certain areas, it does indeed soar. All rhyming aside, Chronicle is a good film surrounded by a plethora of flaws. The film focuses on three friends who make a remarkable discovery that turns them into super-beings. What separates this film from every other film of its ilk, other than the fact that it isn’t based on a Marvel or DC property, is that it falls in to the found footage genre, a technique utilized most by horror genre. READ MORE

Fox Going Ahead With ‘Chronicle 2′, Max Landis Hired To Write

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on March 08, 2012 @ 5:20am
Category: Movies / News

ChronicleReview20312 Fox Going Ahead With Chronicle 2, Max Landis Hired To Write

Josh Trank’s Chronicle was a breath of fresh air. I really, really liked the movie. There were elements that kept me at arms length, but I certainly didn’t regret my time with it and am looking forward to seeing it again.

What I’m not necessarily looking forward to is Chronicle 2. They’ve hired Max Landis, writer of the first film (from a story by him and Josh Trank) to pen it – which is fine in theory. Per Deadline, “Landis wrote ‘Chronicle’, the first installment of the sci-fi feature that has grossed more than $105 million at the box office worldwide since the Fox release opened in early February. Starring Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell and Michael B. Jordan, the first Chronicle centers on three high school friends who gain superpowers but find their lives going out of control and friendships tested as they explore the dark side.”

A few hesitations. Even though Landis is the credited screenwriter of the first film, it feels very much like it was Josh Trank’s vision. I’m not sure if he’s coming back, but as of yet it appears that there are no concrete plans for him to do so. Landis’ shorts, and by extension Landis himself, can come across as grating. I’m not sure what a feature of his without a collaborative system of checks and balances would look like. And finally, from a story standpoint, it seems totally unnecessary. Sure they could find a new group of kids, or continue on with the surviving characters, but I feel that the story was sufficiently wrapped up in the first film.

What are your thoughts? READ MORE

[BD Review] ‘Chronicle’ Is Frustratingly Close To Great, Misses By A Hair

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on February 03, 2012 @ 4:31pm
Category: Movies / News

ChronicleReview20312 [BD Review] Chronicle Is Frustratingly Close To Great, Misses By A Hair

Opening in theaters today is director Josh Trank’s Chronicle. The film sets out to challenge your perceptions of what exactly constitutes a superhero movie just as much as it sets out to redefine the “found footage” genre (or conceit, as some would say). While it’s not entirely successful at the latter, it pulls off the former quite well.

“As far as Josh Trank is concerned, this is a hell of a debut. Chronicle is a hugely ambitious film for a first feature and I’m surprised it gets as much right as it does. He’s definitely a gifted guy who knows how to compose a shot (and a set piece) and I look forward to seeing more from him. Even though logic is totally and ridiculously out the window by the time the film hits its climax… man, what a climax. Ultimately, awesome wins out.”

Ultimately, Chronicle still feels like a bit of fresh air, and you’ll likely have a blast checking it out. Click here for the review! And don’t forget to check back in after you see the film with your review here! READ MORE