Movies
Michael Dougherty Officially Directing the ‘Godzilla’ Sequel
I guess this wasn’t official until now, but Michael Dougherty is now locked and loaded to both write and direct Godzilla 2, Variety reports.
In October 2015, Legendary and Warner Bros. made a joint announcement that all future King Kong and Godzilla films would be developed by Legendary and distributed by Warner Bros., starting with Kong: Skull Island in March. Legendary currently holds a distribution deal with Universal, but in order to re-team Godzilla and King Kong, Legendary decided to send the rights back over to Warner Bros. to be able to create this new “ecosystem” of giant super-species, both classic and new.
Godzilla 2 is currently dated for Mar. 22, 2019, with Godzilla vs. Kong set for May 29, 2020.
Dougherty has strong ties to Legendary, having written and directed the awesome horror anthology Trick ‘r Treat, one of Legendary’s first productions, which has become a cult hit. He then teamed with Shields on the recent Christmas horror pic Krampus.
Fangoria Studios and Panick Studios are turning horror comic Black Diamond into a film, and Variety reports that Ernest Dickerson (Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight) will direct.
Black Diamond comic book creator Brendan Columbus will write the screenplay.
Black Diamond follows Owen and Victoria Welch on a family ski trip that spirals into a nightmare. When their son is abducted by a mysterious cult, the couple is pushed to the brink and faced with a soul-crushing ultimatum: sacrifice another child or lose their own forever.
The comic book series from Panick Entertainment is described as a “chilling folk horror thriller blending Hitchcockian psychological tension with the dread of The Wicker Man.”
“Black Diamond was my attempt to put everything I love about thrillers on the page,” Columbus tells Variety. “I want to make sure it feels like you physically can’t leave the theater or else you’ll miss the next twist or turn. With his masterful cinematic eye and his great story sense, Ernest is going to scare the hell out of everyone with this one.”
“Black Diamond immediately grabbed me because its horror is rooted in impossible human choices,” says Dickerson. “It taps into parental fear, morality, isolation, and survival in a way that is so unsettling and emotionally real. That combination will make for a very suspenseful and exciting cinematic experience.”
Ernest Dickerson is directing and executive producing the feature film. Black Diamond will notably be Ernest Dickerson’s first feature film as director since Double Play in 2017, though he has in more recent years been directing for an impressive string of television shows including “The Man in the High Castle,” “The Purge,” “Raised by Wolves,” “Bosch,” and “DMZ.”
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