Movies
Comic-Con ’11: First Art from ‘TMNT’ Creator’s ‘Zombie Apocalypse’
Carlos Gallardo, producer of the acclaimed El Mariachi, Desperado and Once Upon a Time in Mexico trilogy, and Kevin Eastman, co-creator of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and the owner of Heavy Metal Publishing, are proud to announce their involvement as executive producers on Zombie Apocalypse, a forthcoming movie to be directed by hot new writer/director discovery, Chee Keong Cheung, says the extended press release.
“In Zombie Apocalypse, when zombies start to take control of the world they turn into malevolent versions of their former selves with any previous physical combat skills enhanced to almost superhuman level, making eradication near impossible. Into this seething hell a squad of eight Special Forces soldiers are assigned a suicide mission to rescue a scientist from a city ruled by the undead.”
Check out the first art inside, along with Comic-Con signing details.
Zombie Apocalypse is a unique combination of the action, zombie horror and war genres with the added element of mixed martial arts and will be produced by UK based Intense Productions. The first ever Zombie film to feature mixed martial arts, based on an original screenplay written by Chee Keong Cheung, and lined up as the first in a new trilogy, Zombie Apocalypse will be a multi platform project, which will include graphic novel and merchandise tie ins. Heavy Metal Publishing headed by Kevin Eastman will be the first to exploit the rights with the graphic novel featuring world class Heavy Metal writers and artists to coincide with the film’s intended 2012 release. The production will also team up with Heavy Metal as a promotional and merchandising partner on the picture. A computer game is also envisaged.
Executive Producer, Carlos Gallardo, star and producer of El Mariachi and a long-time collaborator with filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, explains his involvement: “When I read the screenplay for Zombie Apocalypse I was completely mesmerised. I found the script to be powerful, dynamic and fast paced. Chee is a great young director with a lot of talent and I believe a big career ahead of him and he reminds me of my early days and collaboration with my good friend Robert Rodriguez and I am very keen to be involved with the next generation of independent filmmakers who can deliver something new and fresh to fans and I feel with both Chee and Zombie Apocalypse we have something truly exciting and special.”
Executive Producer, Kevin Eastman describes why he’s on board: “I’m a big action and zombie fan and I’m really excited Chee asked me to be part of the film. When Chee showed me the script and told me what he wanted to do with it, I just thought it was awesome. I think what’s interesting is Chee’s taken the best elements of all the zombie films I’d ever seen and turned it on its ear by adding this element of mixed martial arts to it. I think it’s going to be new, fresh and what he’s going to do with it is exceptional. I love Chee’s vision and style and honestly believe Chee is a part of the `next wave’ of new directors that will take the genre-based medium I thrive in to newer and greater heights! We’re really excited about launching the first promotional campaign for Zombie Apocalypse at Comic Con.”
Gaining the experience and expertise of two figures that spearheaded such iconic franchises and revolutionised their respective genres, both Kevin Eastman and Carlos Gallardo will support rising talent Chee Keong Cheung’s vision for a film showcasing the action/horror genre in a way never before seen.
Writer and Director Chee said “I’m incredibly excited and very honoured to be working with both Carlos and Kevin on the production. Their work speaks for itself, both having had incredible success with the franchises they’ve created. They’ve been hugely inspirational. Having been fascinated by zombie and war films I felt a fusion of the two, combined with martial arts, would provide a unique experience for film fans, and the opportunity for a unique action-packed event movie and Carlos and Kevin’s formidable experience in successful genre movies will help me realise that vision. I have profound respect for both the action and zombie genres and I hope to really thrill fans with the approach I have planned. We have some very exciting talent attached that we hope to announce soon and rest assured that every second of screen time is going to be dedicated to delivering what genre fans deserve. I’m also excited to confirm that Carlos Gallardo will not only act as an Executive Producer but will also be joining the cast as one of the as one of the eight Elite Special Forces Soldiers in the movie.”
Rising talent, British-Chinese writer, director and producer, Chee Keong Cheung’s last picture the action/drama, Bodyguard: A New Beginning, was filmed in the UK and Hong Kong and released through Lionsgate in North America.
Zombie Apocalypse was co-written by Mark Strange and Steve Horvath.
Producing alongside Chee Keong Cheung of Intense Productions will be Mark Strange and Michael Riley of Sterling Pictures in association with fast rising UK independent production company Magic Lantern Digital Productions, headed by Mick Southworth and Martin McCabe who will both be acting as Executive Producers on the picture.
The producers are currently in advanced negotiations with two major studios and several of the bigger independents for the UK rights for Zombie Apocalypse, as well as other English speaking territories outside of the US.
Production is estimated for a Q4 2011 start date in the UK with an expected Fall 2012 release.
Casting is currently underway and further announcements are expected shortly.
Zombie Apocalypse is set to be the first in a trilogy and will also be the first of several pictures which Chee Keong Cheung, Carlos Gallardo and Kevin Eastman will collaborate together on and will all be in attendance at Comic Con at the Heavy Metal booth.
Comic Con Zombie Apocalypse Signings With Carlos Gallardo
(star or El Mariachi) in attendance at the Heavy Metal Booth:
Friday July 22 – 3.00 to 5.00pm
Saturday July 23 – 4.00 to 6.00pm
Location: Booth number 1529 (Heavy Metal booth)
Judging from the unprecedented box office success of Kane Parsons’ Backrooms adaptation, you’ve likely already seen the liminal horror hit that managed to make audiences afraid of empty hallways and bad wallpaper. And now that so many of us have already entered the yellow labyrinth (some of us more than once), the time has come to discuss the spoiler-filled details that make the movie so fascinating in the first place.
And if there’s one element here that makes the Backrooms movie stand out from any previous lore/mythology, it has to be the genius addition of the Still Life entities. Warped recreations of real people that somehow wandered into the Complex, these misremembered creatures are responsible for some of the most disturbing imagery of 2026 – as well as laugh-out-loud memes created by one of the film’s very own concept artists.
However, true to Parsons’ word that the movie would rely heavily on practical effects, each of these distorted monsters was brought to life by real actors under heavy layers of makeup and prosthetics (with the occasional splash of CGI enhancements). While Anora and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You actress Ivy Wolk wasn’t among these performers, despite what Letterboxd might have you believe, the creature cast did benefit from veteran players with plenty of genre experience.
For starters, Alien: Romulus alumni Robert Bobroczkyi (who previously brought that film’s horrific Offspring to life during its most memorable sequence) plays the flick’s main antagonist, the Still Life version of Captain Clark. And though there was some obvious CGI involved in making the character’s peg-leg and nightmarish face more believable, Bobroczkyi’s monstrous performance and his natural 7’7″ frame helped to make that final chase sequence a clear highlight among this year’s genre offerings.
The film’s Texas-Chain-Saw-inspired “dinner” scene also features a freaky collection of less-aggressive Still Life creatures in the form of the Bearded Man, the Red-Headed Woman and, strangest of them all, the cheekily named “Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life” (who earned this title among fans and crewmembers as a reference to his apparent affinity for lamps).
While this was the first major horror outing for both Patrick Baynham (The Bearded Man) and Dana Mahmood (Archibald), Rhiannon Roberts has worked as a stunt performer in everything from Yellowjackets to HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation – which is probably why The Red-Headed Woman is the most active out of Clark’s impromptu “family.” That being said, the Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life is my personal favorite of the bunch simply because his anachronistic outfit suggests that the Backrooms phenomenon might be a lot older than the Async Foundation. I also love how hard he tries to be helpful with that little light of his!
That might be it for the Still Life entities, but I think horror fans will also be pleased to hear that the film’s Found Footage prologue stars none other than Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City star Avan Jogia as Naren Warne – and American Mary herself Katharine Isabelle also shows up in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo at Mary’s house party towards the middle of the story (though I have a feeling that she originally had a bigger part that was likely cut for time).
At the end of the day, Parsons’ Backrooms may have been an auteur-driven project motivated by the young director’s unique take on the classic creepypasta, but film has always been a collective artform, so it’s fun to see just how many talented performers it takes to bring this kind of supernatural nightmare to life in a way that connects with so many people.
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