Category: Remakes

FOOTLOOSE ( 2011 ) – The Review

FOOTLOOSE, the movie that made a cinema icon of future trivia game star Kevin Bacon. Since that film’s release there’s been a full-fledged Broadway stage musical ( now a staple of community theatre groups ) with original songs combined with the movie’s radio-friendly pop tunes. This is not a film version of that. The characters do not burst into song, but there’s plenty of spontaneous dance numbers set to re-mixes of those 84 movie tunes and a few new songs. Will this new film from director Craig Brewer ( HUSTLE AND FLOW ) become the dance-along entertainment of future sleepovers and pajama parties?

The film opens in mid-party three years ago. The high school seniors of Bomont, Tennessee are drinkin’ and dancin’ the night away. But that night of fun ends in tragedy as five of them are killed when a truck plows into their car head on. One of the victims is Bobby, son of Reverend  Shaw Moore ( Dennis Quaid ). He speaks eloquently before he votes with the town council to ban public dancing within city limits , to the surprise of his wife ( Andie McDowell ) and daughter Areal ( Julianna Hough ). Jump ahead to the present day as young Ren McCarthy ( Kenny Wormald ) arrives in town. His mother died back in Boston ( Dad bailed on them ) and he’s come to live with his Aunt ( Kim Dickens ), her husband ( Ray McKinnon) and their two grade school age daughters. He’s stunned by the town’s ordinances ! And he’s given a ticket for playing his music too loud in the old VW bug he’s just fixed up! At church Ren is introduced to the Reverend and his family ( could there be sparks between him and Ariel? ). Seems that since the big accident Ariel’s been acting out. She’s fooling around with the older, thuggish, son of the owner of the local stock car track. Flirting with danger? Ren gets a job at a cotton gin, starts high school, joins the football squad, and befriends a team mate, Willard (Miles Teller ). He takes Ren to the local drive-in movie which doubles as a secret dance club. There Ren finally shares some sweet moves with Ariel ( to the consternation of her brutish beau ). From there Ren makes new friends and clashes with some of the adults ( particularly the Reverend ) as he decides to try and fight the dance band while getting closer to the lovely Ariel. With plenty of big musical numbers along the way.

So is this a big improvement in the original? Not by much. The dances are a bit more energetic, but they’re difficult to fully appreciate with the rapid, whiplash editing ( this is, after all, an MTV Production ). I’m reminded of how the great Fred Astaire reacted to new movie musicals. He thought the full body should always be shown during dance numbers. Can’t argue with “Mr. Top Hat”! With the new version Brewer works in some break-dancing and krunk along with country line dancing which often breaks the flow of action. As far as the acting the 84 model has it way over this. Screen newcomer Kenny Wormald has some athletic dance moves, but doesn’t have the same dangerous bad boy vibe of young Kevin Bacon. When he arrives in Bomont he looks like a prep-schooler on his way to audition for ” Grease “. It doesn’t help that by the film’s mid-point he’s hitting the Boston accent ” wicked haahhrd”. Hough of TV’s ” Dancing with the Stars” also has moves to spare, but flounders in some of the third act big dramatic scenes. Surprisingly, the usually energetic Quaid seems to be muzzled as a pretty soft-spoken pastor. The same goes for McDowell as his wife who doesn’t have much to do till close to the finale. There are a few bright spots in the cast. McKinnon shines as Ren’s sympathetic Uncle ( wish I could’ve seen more of the terrific Kim Dickens as his Aunt ). The movie’s MVP may be Miles Teller who shines in a loose, upbeat portrayal of Ren’s new best pal, the rhythmically-challenged, but sweet doofus Willard. For the pre-teen set, this will make for a great fun group night out at the multi-plex. For the rest of us, this new version may leave us appreciating that relic from long ago. Still any version of the Kenny Loggins tune is a toe-tapper.

Overall Rating: Three Out of Five Stars

DARK SHADOWS First Cast Photo

Hey horror hounds! Courtesy of our friends at Entertainment Weekly here’s our first look at the cast of Tim Burton’s big screen version of the small screen classic, DARK SHADOWS. Now this is not the first time the Collins clan have made it to the movies. In 1970 MGM released HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS based on the daytime drama and starring most of the TV cast. NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS followed.

Here’s a bit of background on the cult favorite. Dan Curtis (BURNT OFFERINGS) created the “soap opera ” which debuted on ABC-TV in 1966. The main focus of the first episodes was the arrival of Victoria Winters in Collinsport, ME and her interactions with the secretive Collins family. The program languished at the bottom of the ratings until Curtis, in order to save the show from cancellation,decided to take a gamble and introduce a vampire into the Gothic series. Barnabas Collins as played by veteran stage actor Jonathan Frid caused a sensation on the daytime TV landscape. Youngsters flocked to the show, turning the mature Frid into a teen idol (featured many times on the cover of Tiger Beat and other magazines) and giving the producer a merchandising bonanza. Board games, model kits, comic books, paperback novels, and posters flooded the stores. There was even a comic strip in daily newspapers! A record album of the show’s eerie score by Robert Colbert was a huge hit and spawned a top 40 single, “Quentin’s Theme”. Unfortunately not even the additon of witches, werewolves, and other ghoulies could keep the mania going and the final episode aired in 1971.

Ah, but like any good vampire Barnabas did return. The show was soon syndicated to local stations. Devoted fans staged conventions featuring reunions of the cast members. Innovation produced new comic books in 1991. NBC revived the show as a prime time hour long drama in early 1991 while Warner Brothers TV produced a new two hour pilot film that never aired.

And now,long time fan Tim Burton is taking this Gothic epic to the big screen. Lets’ take a look at the residents of Collinwood. Starting from the far left is Helena Bonham Carter (THE KING”S SPEECH) as Dr. Julia Hoffman, psychiatrist, friend of the Collins family and (in the TV show) an aide of Barnabas. Next is Chloe Maretz (LET ME IN) as Carolyn Stoddard followed by Eva Green (CASINO ROYALE) as Angelique Bouchard, the witch who cursed Barnabas. The young lad is the disturbed David Collins played by Gulliver McGrath with his governess Victoria Winters played by Bella Heathcote (she’s also the spitting image of Barnabas’s long lost love Josette). Speaking of Barnabas, in the center is Johnny Depp (THE TOURIST) as the centuries old vampire. Seated is the family housekeeper Mrs. Johnson played by Ray Shirley. Next is Collinwood groundskeeper Willie (yup, Groundskeeper Willie!) Loomis played by Jackie Earle Haley (WATCHMEN) who releases Barnabas and soon becomes his ‘ familiar’. He’s followed by Roger Collins played by Jonny Lee Miller (TRAINSPOTTING) and family matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard played by Michelle Pfieffer (BATMAN RETURNS).

Synopsis:

In the year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. Two decades pass and Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has the world at his feet—or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy…until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive.

Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own dark secrets. Matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer) has called upon live-in psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), to help with her family troubles.

Also residing in the manor is Elizabeth’s ne’er-do-well brother, Roger Collins, (Jonny Lee Miller); her rebellious teenage daughter Carolyn Stoddard (Chloe Moretz); and Roger’s precocious 10-year-old son, David Collins (Gulliver McGrath). The mystery extends beyond the family, to caretaker Willie Loomis, played by Jackie Earle Haley, and David’s new nanny, Victoria Winters, played by Bella Heathcote.

This group (along with horror film icon Christopher Lee and several original TV cast members) will welcome moviegoers back to Collinwood (cue the cascading waves and Colbert theme) when Warner Brothers releases the film on May 11, 2012

STRAW DOGS (2011) – The Review

Written and directed by Rod Lurie (THE CONTENDER, THE LAST CASTLE), STRAW DOGS (2011) is actually a reasonably successful generic popcorn thriller, focused on revenge. On its own, its no better or worse than most of the Hollywood fare churned out each year. However, as a remake to Sam Peckinpah’s film, Lurie fails completely at capturing the same level of deep character development and situational tension. For those viewers who see STRAW DOGS (2011) without having seen the original, a population which is apparently frightfully large, the film works. Unfortunately, for those who’ve seen the original, I fear you’ll find it difficult to look past the remake’s inadequacies and be left with a foul taste in your mouth.

STRAW DOGS (2011) stars James Marsden (X-MEN, ENCHANTED) as David Sumner, making an effort to fill the shoes of Dustin Hoffman. David is an LA screenwriter, educated and relatively well-off compared to the residents of Blackwater, Mississippi. David and his attractive wife Amy (SUPERMAN RETURNS, THE RULES OF ATTRACTIONG) return to Blackwater, her hometown, to temporarily reside in Amy’s recently deceased father’s home while it’s repaired and David works on his latest screenplay.

Right from the beginning, the setup of STRAW DOGS (2011) is clear; city folk versus southern rednecks. On this level, Lurie hits the proverbial mark, turning the deeper, more meaningful film Peckinpah created into little more than an average home invasion flick, less chilling than THE STRANGERS. Charlie, played by Alexander Skarsgard (TRUE BLOOD) leads a pack of four ex-high school football stars from Blackwater, employed by Amy to repair the roof of her father’s barn. As it turns out, Charlie and Amy have a history that is destined to come back on her like bad Indian food.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. David makes an effort to apply this philosophy to his new, if only temporary home, but Charlie and boys won’t have any of that. This ultimately sets the tone for the rest of the film. Marsden does well enough as David, convincingly playing a generic Hollywood screenwriter type. His performance is centered on the trademark glasses worn by Dustin Hoffman in the original, constantly adjusting or fiddling with them as a crutch. I believed he was a pacifist, an atheist, and a coward.

Alexander Skarsgard, on the other hand, was probably the one factor in Lurie’s remake that I truly looked forward to, but found myself deeply disappointed. His performance was not bad, but rather very, very familiar. Charlie was essentially a slightly toned down version of Eric Northman from True Blood. I give Skarsgard credit for being really good at playing sophisticated creepy roles, even as a redneck, but there wasn’t enough depth to his performance and far too much of what we see so often on the HBO series. Regardless, he does offer some enjoyable moments in STRAW DOGS, so I can’t bring myself to write him off completely. Kate Bosworth is skinny, and she cries a lot in the second half.

Rod Lurie borrows heavily from Peckinpah’s visual repertoire with several shot-for-shot translations, including the final shot. He also delves into the genre pool of kill scenes, extracting moments of graphic violence that feel a little out of place in this remake but serve up excitement for the general audience like football fans rambunctiously hootin’ and hollerin’ over their home team’s touchdown. Amidst these vividly bloody moments is the final kill, with which I have a continuity issue.

Two performances truly stand out, but for two very different reasons. Dominic Purcell (BLADE: TRINITY) struggles with the role of Jeremy Niles, a mentally challenged man who is cast out and misunderstood by the town of Blackwater. He is the brother of Daniel, played by the terribly miscast Walton Goggins (JUSTIFIED). One of Lurie’s biggest mistakes was not casting Goggins as one of the four “straw dogs,” the term used by David to describe how Charlie and his boys fit into society. On the flip side, Lurie was brilliant for casting James Woods as the alcoholic, racist Coach Tom Heddon.

STRAW DOGS (2011) is well-shot, especially the opening sequence that develops the southern, swampy setting, even though the film doesn’t take place in a swamp. Lurie’s version makes no effort to embrace the gritty atmosphere of Peckinpah’s original, except for that final shot. I have a feeling this film will do fairly well at the box office, but will have to compete with Ryan Gosling’s meteoric new popularity as DRIVE opens simultaneously. For fans of Sam Peckipah’s original, I simply recommend avoiding this failed remake.

Overall Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Columbia Pictures Options Remake Rights To Japanese Film BIG MAN JAPAN

CULVER CITY, Calif. (June 2011) – Columbia Pictures has optioned remake and sequel rights to Big Man Japan, which will be developed and produced into a new feature film by Neal H. Moritz through his Original Film banner, it was announced by Hannah Minghella, president of production for Columbia Pictures. Big Man Japan was a breakthrough hit in Japan in 2007 and a cult hit in the United States in 2009. Phil Hay & Matt Manfredi will write the new adaptation.

Set in a world where monsters wreak havoc, there’s one man who can protect the citizenry: Big Man Japan, who runs the Department of Monster Prevention. Using electricity, he can grow to be 10 stories tall and fight off the most menacing of monsters. The problem is that he’s not very good at his job and often causes as much damage as he prevents. The people believe he’s a joke – and not nearly as good at the job as his father and grandfather were before he took over the family business.

The option for all non Japanese language rights to the film were secured through Yoshimoto Kogyo Co, Ltd, and their affiliate Yoshimoto Creative Agency, Ltd, producers of the original film that was directed by Hitoshi Matsumoto.

Toby Jaffe will oversee development for Original.

NEAL H. MORITZ is the founder of Original Film. His most recent releases include Fast Five, which has taken in more than $540 million worldwide to date, making it the most successful film in the franchise, and Battle: Los Angeles, which has grossed more than $200 million worldwide so far. His next film is Universal Pictures’ comedy The Change Up. He is currently in production on 21 Jump Street and Total Recall, and he is in pre-production on Warner Bros.’ Jack the Giant Killer. His past titles include The Green Hornet, The Fast and Furious series, I Am Legend, XXX, S.W.A.T., Made of Honor, Gridiron Gang, Bounty Hunter, Evan Almighty, Sweet Home Alabama, Click, Vantage Point, Out of Time, Blue Streak, Cruel Intentions, I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Skulls, Volcano, Urban Legend, and Juice.

PHIL HAY & MATT MANFREDI most recently wrote the screenplay for the box office hit Clash of the Titans; they previously wrote the screenplay for the 2005 sci-fi thriller Aeon Flux. The writing partners made their screenwriting debut in 2001 with the critically acclaimed drama Crazy/Beautiful. Manfredi also wrote and co-directed with Hay the independent feature Bug, starring John Carroll Lynch, which garnered multiple film festival awards in 2002. Upcoming projects for Hay and Manfredi include the comic book adaptations R.I.P.D. and The Boys, both for producer Neal H. Moritz.

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New FOOTLOOSE Stills & Synopsis

Check out the new stills from Paramount Pictures’ upcoming remake of FOOTLOOSE. Will it live up to the original, Kevin Bacon film that gave us “Jump Back” and “Don’t stop! Don’t stop! Make Ginger pop!” Who can forget the classic lines,

Ariel: “Do you want to kiss me?”

Ren: “Someday”

Won’t be the same if no one is sporting the t-shirt that says – DANCE YOUR ASS OFF.

Paramount Pictures Presents In Association with Spyglass Entertainment
A Dylan Sellers Zadan / Meron Weston Pictures Production
A Craig Brewer Film
FOOTLOOSE
Executive Producers Timothy M. Bourne, Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum, Jonathan Glickman
Produced by Craig Zadan, Neil Meron, Dylan Sellers, Brad Weston
Story by Dean Pitchford
Screenplay by Dean Pitchford and Craig Brewer
Directed by Craig Brewer

Synopsis:

Writer/Director Craig Brewer (HUSTLE & FLOW, BLACK SNAKE MOAN) delivers a new take of the beloved 1984 classic film, FOOTLOOSE. Ren MacCormack (played by newcomer Kenny Wormald) is transplanted from Boston to the small southern town of Bomont where he experiences a heavy dose of culture shock. A few years prior, the community was rocked by a tragic accident that killed five teenagers after a night out and Bomont’s local councilmen and the beloved Reverend Shaw Moore (Dennis Quaid) responded by implementing ordinances that prohibit loud music and dancing. Not one to bow to the status quo, Ren challenges the ban, revitalizing the town and falling in love with the minister’s troubled daughter Ariel (Julianne Hough) in the process.

FOOTLOOSE will be in theaters on October 14, 2011.

THE HOUSEMAID (2010) – The Review

In many ultra-affluent homes there’s an invisible , but clearly defined, line that separates the residents and the people hired to take care of them. Usually it’s a rigid code of conduct. This has been explored in TV shows like “Upstairs, Downstairs” and films such as THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE and DRIVING MISS DAISY.  A source of dramatic conflict occurs when one or both cross that line. THE HOUSEMAID explores this conflict in reserved Asian society. The film shares the it’s title from an influential Korean film from 1960, but the results of this conflict in 2010 are very different from the earlier work.

This film begins on a busy evening at a downtown market. The bustling night is momentarily disrupted when a young woman leaps to her death from one of the buildings. A worker at one of the eateries, Eun-yi (Jeon Do-yeon), and her room mate try and get a better look at the body. The next morning, back at their apartment building, Eun-yi is visited by Miss Cho (Yoon Yeo-jeong), the maid of a rich family. Eun-yi has been hired as an au pair for the growing household. Eun-yi is taken to the opulent home and is introduced to the lady of the house, Hae Ra (Seo Woo). Hae Ra is due to give birth to twins in the next few months. Besides helping with the household chores, Eun-yi’s main responsibility will be looking after the seven year old daughter Nami (Ahn Seo-hyeon). Shortly Eun-yi meets the master of the house, Hoon (Lee Jung-jae), a powerful, successful businessman. Later Eun-yi is dazzled by Hoon’s skills at the piano. That night Hoon is frustrated by the unaccommodating Hae Ra in the bedroom. A few days later Eun-yi accompanies the family to a cottage in the woods. Late one night Hoon enters Eun-yi’s quarters. They share a bottle of wine and the bed. This becomes a regular occurrence upon their return to the main house. Miss Cho stumbles upon one of the trysts. Later, she observes changes to Eun-yi’s body-she must be pregnant. Miss Cho brings this to the attention of Hae-Ra’s domineering mother Mi-hee (Park Ji-young). Mi-hee swears that she will take care of this before the birth of her new grandchildren. What will become of Eun-yi and her baby? And will Hae Ra learn of her husband’s affair?

THE HOUSEMAID unfolds slowly as it presents this mansion’s opulence and the strict codes of conduct for the working women. The introduction of the affair is similar to an early Hollywood studio tearjerker. The performances are all very engaging. Do-yeon makes Eun-yi, a sweet, fragile young woman who is dazzled by all the trappings of wealth. Yeo-jeoung ‘s Miss Cho starts as very stern, hardened women but later becomes sympathetic when she has finally has endured enough in dealing with this family. The family is anchored by Jung-jae’s imperious, manipulative, cold Hoon. Woo’s Hae-Ra’s is a spoiled, uncaring brat, while her mother may be the film’s biggest villain. Ji-young turns her into an evil, Lady Macbeth-like harridan. The movie’s an interesting look at the class system in Korea. But, I should forewarn you that the film’s wildly over-the -top, almost operatic ending may seem out of place after the more realistic proceedings. If you can handle such abrupt changes in tone then you’ll appreciate THE HOUSEMAID.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Everything’s Coming Up Barbra!

Barbra Streisand to star in the movie remake of GYPSY…does that sound like a good idea?

It’s a tremendous idea! Barbra would be breathtaking as Mama Rose and a project like this has the potential to be one of the greatest adaptations in film history, not to mention it would be a great bookend performance for La Streisand. And the score won’t have to be altered for a less capable actress/singer.

Ok so Barbra’s on board – but who would direct? It has to be someone strong enough to direct Barbra in her first musical in over 30 years. It’s a daunting task for even a seasoned director – she’s a handful…and on a musical?!?

Barbra Streisand has met with Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents to discuss starring as Rose, the mother of all stage mamas, in a film version of their 1959 musical “Gypsy,” the two men said in telephone interviews on Wednesday. Mr. Laurents, who wrote the book for “Gypsy” and directed its 2008 revival on Broadway starring Patti LuPone, said that Warner Brothers and Joel Silver were attached as producers, but that no director had been chosen.

Contrary to a report in The New York Post on Wednesday, Mr. Laurents said that Ms. Streisand would not direct the film; she once wanted to, he said, “but playing Rose is enough to make her happy.” Ms. Streisand, who won an Academy Award for best actress in 1968 for the film musical FUNNY GIRL, has been interested in doing GYPSY for many years, Mr. Laurents said, “but now things are serious and a movie is truly in the works.”

As for the rest of the casting, Tom Hanks’ name has come up for the role of Herbie, the former agent turned manager. I would’ve gone for Dustin Hoffman as Herbie, but Tom Hanks is good. He’s the perfect type – it was Jack Klugman in the original Broadway production with Ethel Merman; and Karl Malden in the 1962 movie with Rosalind Russell (so you can see where they are going with this).

Natalie Wood starred as the shy older sister Louise in the movie. I think Anne Hathaway would be perfect in this role. She is the right type and she can really sing! And while I’m granting myself wishes, Baby June should be played by Kristen Bell; and Tulsa, the boy she elopes with would be a perfect vehicle for the talents of Joseph Gordon Levitt – “Make ‘Em Laugh” on SNL anyone? Genius. Well, here’s hoping!

Source: NY Times

THE TOURIST Goes On Holiday In December

Sony Pictures has announced that the Johnny Depp-Angelina Jolie romantic thriller THE TOURIST is now set to open December 10th, according to Box Office Mojo. Oscars anyone?

A remake of French thriller ANTHONY ZIMMER, THE TOURIST features Depp as an American vacationing in Venice, Italy, who, while attempting to romance Jolie’s character, becomes embroiled in a web of international intrigue and suspense. This year has already been a good one for Depp and Jolie, as they have each had hits in ALICE IN WONDERLAND ($334.2 million) and SALT ($104.2 million and counting), respectively. Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, who won the Best Foreign Language Oscar in 2007 for Cold War drama THE LIVES OF OTHERS, THE TOURIST will debut opposite THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER and David O. Russell’s THE FIGHTER.

THE TOURIST, written by Julian Fellowes, Christopher McQuarrie, and Jeffrey Nachmanoff, also stars Paul Bettany, Rufus Sewell, and Timothy Dalton. GK Films, which financed the film, and Sony Pictures will distribute it.

THE NEXT THREE DAYS Trailers Debuts Starring Crowe, Banks and Neeson

Lionsgate via YAHOO! Movies has released this exciting new trailer for Paul Haggis’ THE NEXT THREE DAYS.

This….looks…FABULOUS!! Crowe and Neeson together – good night nurse!! As you can tell, I’m more than a little thrilled about this remake of the 2007 French film “Pour Elle” (Anything For Her) by Fred Cavaye’.

Synopsis:

Life seems perfect for John Brennan (Russell Crowe) until his wife, Lara (Elizabeth Banks), is arrested for a gruesome murder she says she didn’t commit. Three years into her sentence, John is struggling to hold his family together, raising their son and teaching at college while he pursues every means available to prove her innocence. With the rejection of their final appeal, Lara becomes suicidal and John decides there is only one possible, bearable solution: to break his wife out of prison. Refusing to be deterred by impossible odds or his own inexperience, John devises an elaborate escape plot and plunges into a dangerous and unfamiliar world, ultimately risking everything for the woman he loves.

From Highway 61 Films and Lionsgate, along with a screenplay from producer-director Paul Haggis, THE NEXT THREE DAYS will be in theaters on November 19, 2010.

Welcome To FRIGHT NIGHT and a Release Date

Exhibitor Relations has posted a FRIGHT NIGHT update over on Facebook.

FRIGHT NIGHT remake starring Colin Farrell and Anton Yelchin has scared up a release date: October 7, 2011. And yes, it will be in 3-D…

Oh great. Another unnecessary remake. Another 3D movie. Apparently Hollywood’s original story well has run dry.

DreamWorks remake of the 1985 film is about a teen (Yelchin) convinced that his new neighbor (Farrell) is a vampire. FRIGHT NIGHT’s cast includes Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, Toni Collette, David Tennant, Imogen Poots, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.

With a story from Tom Holland, FRIGHT NIGHT’s original director and screenwriter, the screenplay is from Marti Noxon of tv’s “Buffy The Vampire Slayer.”

From producers Michael De Luca and Alison R. Rosenzweig and director Craig Gillespie (MR. WOODCOCK, LARS AND THE REAL GIRL), filming begins this summer in New Mexico.