Movies
Could the ‘Dredd’ Producer Save the ‘Castlevania’ Franchise?
I dig Adi Shankar, who for one reason or another dons The Crow makeup on a daily basis. He’s very vocal about the business, things he’s developing, and keeps fans in the know of everything related to the films he’s working on.
Shankar, who produced The Grey, Dredd and the upcoming I Saw the Devil is hoping to save the long-gestured Castlevania franchise, which once had James Wan attached to direct. Only, this video game adaptation would be animated for online consumption.
The A.V. Club says Shankar has partnered with “Adventure Time’s” Frederator Studios(!) on the “super violent” series.
Now, it sounds like Frederator has cagily confirmed that this Castlevania cartoon is really happening. Speaking with Nickelodeon’s official Nick Animation Podcast (via Bleeding Cool), Fred Seibert (the “Fred” in Frederator) explained that his team is working on an “unnamed” project based on “one of the most world-famous video games of the last 30 years.” He said they’ve had the rights to this unnamed game for 12 years and haven’t been able to work on it, but—perhaps due to the upcoming end of Adventure Time—they’re now able to get it going.
The site notes that he doesn’t specifically say he’s talking about Castlevania, but the series did just have its 30th birthday in September.
Movies
‘Boorman and the Devil’ Documentary Trailer Chronicles Complicated Relationship with ‘Exorcist II’
Critically acclaimed documentary Boorman and the Devil chronicles how one of the world’s greatest filmmakers made one of the most hated movies ever: Exorcist II: The Heretic. A new trailer highlighting some of the troubled production woes has arrived.
Boorman and the Devil opens at The Quad in NYC on August 28 before opening wider in various cities on September 4, including: Los Angeles, Columbus, Houston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Seattle and more.
After the success of Point Blank and Deliverance, Warner Brothers offered John Boorman the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to direct a sequel to their smash hit, The Exorcist. The result was one of the biggest disasters in movie history. A critical and financial failure that not only changed how Hollywood did business, but nearly ended Boorman’s filmmaking career… but to be an artist is to be a risk-taker.
Now, John Boorman, Linda Blair, Louise Fletcher, Karyn Kusama, Joe Dante, Mike Flanagan, and more reflect back on the ambition of the film, the artistry and craft, and the value of big creative swings.
“I am beyond thrilled that Yellow Veil has come on board to help us share this story with a larger audience,” said director David Kittredge. “Like myself and the rest of our team, they’re huge cinema-lovers. It’s so exciting that a film which is not only a love letter to John Boorman, but also to ambitious filmmaking, will be handled by people who share the same passions that our team shares.”
“I first saw the film at an early festival screening and the post-screening buzz was just electric. Everyone was loving Boorman and the Devil,” added Yellow Veil co-founder Justin Timms. “To be able to team up with David and the filmmaking team on this release is incredibly exciting, and we can’t wait to spread that post-screening electricity with audiences across the country.”
Boorman and the Devil is produced by Kittredge’s Triple Fire Productions, Travis Stevens (Jodorowsky’s Dune, Starry Eyes) of Snowfort Pictures, and Jim Fall (The Lizzie McGuire Movie), with Alan Koenigsberg of Milton Ventures Media serving as co-producer.
Daniel Kurland wrote in his review, “Boorman and the Devil goes above and beyond to be the definitive text on Exorcist II. This documentary will delight horror and Exorcist fans alike, but it also provides incredible insight for anyone who is just marginally interested in film production.”