Movies
Dean R. Koontz’s ‘Frankenstein’ Resurrected in Feature Film Form
I guess Uni’s Wolfman redo was enough of a success to light a fire under the ass of a few executives out there. It was announced today that Ralph Winter and Terry Botwick are developing a 21st century Frankenstein tale, acquiring feature rights to Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein through their 1019 Entertainment banner. Koontz has been extremely vocal about his hatred for the feature film (and TV) adaptations of his novels, at one point even swearing off letting them happen; it’ll be interesting to see if they can finally knock one out of the park (odds are against ya buddy, especially since they already failed with the “Frankenstein” TV adaptation).
From Variety:
“The project places the doctor — a socially prominent and successful businessman — and his super-human original creation Deucalion in modern-day New Orleans. The story centers on a pair of street-smart detectives who encounter Deucalion while investigating a murder, leading them to a bizarre array of “engineered” humans.
Three titles in Koontz’s series have been published, with the fourth scheduled for release in June.
Winter and Botwick are aiming to launch a franchise. “These books have enough twists and turns to keep the public coming back to the theaters for many years to come,” the duo said.
“Frankenstein” will be produced by Winter and Botwick along with 1019 Entertainment exec Whitney Thomas.
Prior to forming 1019 Entertainment, Winter had a first-look deal at Fox and produced the “X-Men” trilogy, Tim Burton’s “Planet of the Apes” and the “Fantastic Four” movies. Botwick was previously president of Vanguard Films and Animation and president of Big Idea Prods. He also did stints at CBS and the Family Channel.
The first title in the Frankenstein series, “Prodigal Son,” was published in 2005 by Bantam Books, followed by “City of Night” and “Dead and Alive.” The fourth book, “Lost Souls,” will be published June 22, with the fifth and sixth books to follow in 2011 and 2012. “
Movies
Christopher Landon to Helm Feature Adaptation of Grady Hendrix’s ‘The Final Girl Support Group’
A new feature adaptation of author Grady Hendrix‘s slasher book The Final Girl Support Group is now on the way from Paramount Pictures, and Deadline reports that it’s found its director in Christopher Landon (Drop, Happy Death Day).
The two previously collaborated on My Best Friend’s Exorcism.
In The Final Girl Support Group, “Lynette is a real-life final girl who survived a massacre. For more than a decade, she’s been meeting with five other final girls and their therapist in a support group for those who survived the unthinkable, working to put their lives back together. Then one woman misses a meeting, and their worst fears are realized—someone knows about the group and is determined to rip their lives apart again, piece by piece.”
“But the thing about final girls is that no matter how bad the odds, how dark the night, how sharp the knife, they will never, ever give up.”
I wrote in my novel review for BD, “Hendrix puts his characters through the absolute wringer. It’s a bloody, vicious voyage for the flawed heroine, both physically and emotionally. In terms of action and horror, Support Group delivers breakneck pacing and thrills.”
Five years ago, Andy Muschietti & Barbara Muschietti (Mama, It, It Chapter Two) were attached to produce a planned series adaptation for HBO Max alongside Charlize Theron. While Theron is no longer producing, the Muschiettis remain on board under their Double Dream label.
Paramount Pictures is also developing Hendrix’s sci-fi novella, BadAsstronauts.
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