Movies
Screen Gems is Making a New ‘Urban Legend’ for the Digital Age
Screen Gems is fast-tracking a new take on Urban Legend, this time targeting social media. The studio has set indie filmmaker Colin Minihan to write and direct the thriller that’s currently cast, reports Deadline.
“Urban Legend will introduce an iconic new slasher for the digital age in a world where internet urban legends are born and move at a terrifying pace.
“The movie will center on a diverse cast of college students as they navigate a series of bizarre deaths that resemble urban legends linked to the darkest corners of social media.”
It’s unclear if this is considered a reboot, a remake, or something different altogether, but Sony’s TriStar Pictures was behind the first three Urban Legend films. In the Jamie Blanks-directed 1998 slasher starring Jared Leto, Alicia Witt, and Rebecca Gayheart, a college student suspects a series of bizarre deaths are connected to certain urban legends. As Wiki notes, it was followed by two sequels: Urban Legends: Final Cut, which was released theatrically in 2000, and the direct-to-video film Urban Legends: Bloody Mary in 2005.
The original Urban Legend was written by Silvio Horta.
For those who don’t know Minihan, his excellent micro-budget feature What Keeps You Alive premiered at SXSW. He also helmed It Stains the Sand Red and co-directed Extraterrestrial and Grave Encounters. He’s a phenomenal choice for a big-time horror film.
Mike Medavoy, who was a producer on the original Urban Legend, will produce with Benjamin Anderson for Phoenix Pictures.
Sunrise Films has announced the official North American release of William Bagley‘s horror comedy Hold the Fort, and it’s accompanied by an energetic new trailer.
Hold the Fort debuts on digital platforms on June 23.
In the film, “Lucas and Jenny think their life is finally coming together when the couple become homeowners. Little do they know that their new house comes with a big catch. Lucas and Jenny soon find themselves in a fight for their lives when they become trapped in a battle between their Homeowners Association and an onslaught of monsters from hell. The horror-comedy takes the timely concern of home-ownership and wraps this up in an entertaining action-packed thrill ride.“
Watch the new trailer below, which introduces one wild HOA gathering during an equinox. Things get bloody fast.
Chris Mayers (Adult Swim Yule Log), Haley Leary (“The Walking Dead”), Levi Burdick, and Julian Smith star.
William Bagley writes and directs, in addition to producing with Smith, Matt Dodd, Luke Williams, and Tim Reis (Adult Swim Yule Log).
Ahead of the release, Bagley said, “My goal with this film was to make a hilarious, fast-paced thrill ride while also telling a great story with heart. Hopefully, through all the blood, laughs, fights, and gags, you leave the film feeling inspired to tackle whatever life throws at you.“
Hold the Fort premiered at Fantasia last summer before going on to play FrightFest London, Toronto After Dark, and Beyond Fest.
I wrote in my review, “It’s an infectiously charming assemblage of jokes and monster vignettes bound together by a barebones plot with not much on its mind beyond delivering an entertaining time.”
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