Movies
OMFG of the Day: Magnet Releasing Gets Epic, Announces 26-Chapter Anthology ‘The ABCs of Death’
Drafthouse Films, Timpson Films and Magnet Releasing are teaming to produce The ABCs of Death, an absolutely epic 26-chapter anthology feature that aims to showcase death in all its vicious wonder and brutal beauty.
Production is scheduled to begin this June, with completion slated for Jan. 2012, six months, six weeks and six days later. 25 established directors from all over the world are participating, while the 26th helmer will be chosen as part of a worldwide competition to find a new filmmaking talent. Each director will be assigned a letter from the alphabet that represents a word to act as a springboard for a short story about death. It will be up to each filmmaker to interpret the letter and word they are assigned to tell a deathly tale, from the accidental murder to those committed in cold blood. The sum of these parts, from A-to-Z, will comprise “The ABCs of Death.”
The current list of confirmed participating directors includes Jason Eisener (Hobo With A Shotgun), Nacho Vigalando (TimeCrimes), Ti West (The House of the Devil), Srdjan Spasojevic (A Serbian Film), Angela Bettis (Roman) and Ben Wheatley (The Kill List), as well as Banjong Pisanthanakun (Shutter, Alone), Adrian Garcia Bogliano (Cold Sweat), Ernesto Diaz Espinoza (Kiltro), Bruno Forzani (Amer) and Héléne Cattet (Amer), Gadi Harel (Deadgirl), Thomas Malling (Norwegian Ninja), Yoshihiro Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police), Simon Rumley (Red White and Blue), Tak Sakaguchi (Mutant Girls Squad) and Yuji Shimomura (Death Trance), Marcel Sarmiento (Deadgirl), Timo Tjahjanto (Macabre), Andrew Traucki (Black Water), Jake West (Evil Aliens) and Adam Wingard (A Horrible Way to Die, You’re Next!).
“Helming Fantastic Fest for the past seven years has brought us in touch with an amazing community of filmmaking talent,” said League. “The ABCs of Death offers us a chance to work closely with a large number of visionary filmmakers to create a film with more jaw-dropping moments than a whole summer of blockbusters.”
“This project was inspired by my young sons being introduced to the world through their ABCs books. The idea of subverting that format to reveal a study in all the dastardly and humorous ways a person can leave this world appealed on multiple levels,” said Timpson, who added that “it was somewhat fitting to learn that the earliest forms of the ABCs books actually did use fear of punishment to teach the young.”
“I got to the letter A and said yes,” said Magnet SVP Tom Quinn, who negotiated the deal with League, Timpson and Jason Janego. “We’re super excited to be working with a familiar cast of Magnet directors, as well as Tim League and Ant Timpson.”
The goddess of love might be a monster in the new trailer for Love is the Monster, the latest from Sound of Violence filmmaker Alex Noyer.
Madeline Zima (“Doom Patrol,” “Twin Peaks”) and Leonardo Nam (Werewolf by Night, “Westworld”) star as the unlucky couple discovering romance’s malovelent side when they arrive at the ill-fated Finnish retreat.
Love is the Monster will be available to rent or own on Prime Video on June 23.
The official synopsis: “Following their marriage being rocked by infidelity, Ana and Justin attend an exclusive couples retreat in Finland, under the golden rays of the summer’s midnight sun. They join other international couples to experience the transformative teachings of the shaman and healer, Tiina, inspired by the ancient Finnish goddess of love and fertility, Lempo.
“Despite her doubts and some ominous first experiences, Ana gives the retreat a chance, but the thrill is quickly replaced by a battle for survival, as the influence of the divinity and the pagan rituals turn deadly. Couples’ problems lead to calamity, while Ana learns about the peculiar role she unwittingly plays in Tiina’s plans.”
Kimberly Sue-Murray (“The Boys”), Moe Jeudy-Lamour (“Ted Lasso”), Kristina Tonteri-Young (“Warrior Nun“), Milla Puolakanaho (Attack on Helsinki), and Sheila McCarthy (Women Talking) also star.
Noyer co-wrote the script with his Sound of Violence collaborator Hannu Aukia and Blair Bathory. Laurence Gendron joins Noyer and Aukia as a producer.
“Releasing Love Is the Monster during Finnish midsummer couldn’t be more fitting, as it’s when our story unfolds. While a real trip to Finland is far less eventful, our devious goddess Lempo is ready to welcome audiences,” Noyer said in a statement.
Watch the trailer below.
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