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.
Director Casper Kelly (Too Many Cooks, V/H/S/Halloween) is back with fresh nightmare fuel, with his latest feature film Buddy headed to theaters from Saban on August 28.
Buddy centers on the titular unicorn mascot — a beloved children’s TV host with a squeaky-clean persona that belies his true nature as a dark and violent force of nature.
Watch the brand new official teaser trailer below to begin the nightmare.
Here’s the official synopsis: “Inside the colorful world of It’s Buddy!, a group of children spend their days singing, dancing, and helping Buddy spread happiness. But when one child refuses to play along, Buddy is not pleased and cracks begin to appear in this seemingly perfect world.”
Cristin Milioti stars as Grace, a suburban mother inadvertently drawn into Buddy’s nightmare world, with Delaney Quinn as Freddy, a brave girl who begins to fight back against Buddy when he shows his true self. Keegan-Michael Key voices Buddy. The horror movie’s cast also includes Topher Grace, Michael Shannon, and Patton Oswalt.
Casper Kelly co-wrote the movie with Jamie King (“Jessica Jones”).
“It’s an honor to be partnering with Roadside Attractions and Saban Films, two companies that have built reputations for championing bold films,” commented Kelly. “The theatrical experience means so much to me personally, and I made Buddy to be experienced in a theater. I’m thrilled that audiences will get the chance to see the movie in theaters everywhere.”
“Casper Kelly is one of the most wildly inventive and audacious filmmakers working today, and Buddy is a testament to his singular genius,” said Saban co-presidents Jonathan Saba and Shanan Becker. “He possesses a rare aptitude for taking the wholesome nostalgia of our childhoods and flipping it into a brilliantly unhinged, laugh-out-loud nightmare.”
Meagan Navarro wrote in her review, “Casper Kelly drops viewers straight into the world of a kids’ show with a high-concept horror comedy that dials up the absurdities of kids’ television programming to a lethal degree. Those on board with an experimental structure and Kelly’s darkly playful sense of humor will find this raucous midnighter highly entertaining.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.