WHAT IF?: Test Footage And Images For Ridley Scott’s I AM LEGEND Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger
Ridley Scott’s I Am Legend is yet another killed Arnold Schwarzenegger project that could have been amazing. StanWinstonSchool has posted a very interesting story on the development of the makeup-tests for Ridley Scott’s purposed I Am Legend film from 1997. That would have starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and including some heavy duty makeup for the vampire-creatures. The site posts images and even video of the development. I Am Legend joins the laundry list of films that Arnold could have made which includes Die Hard, Sgt. Rock, Planet of The Apes, Spider-Man, The Rock and Full Metal Jacket.
Of course the Will Smith version was the one that made it to theaters and these stunning pieces were never used. Instead the creatures were created using terrible cheap looking CGI. Ridley’s other film Legend is still considered a highlight for practice effects makeup, a lot of the techniques have been used in Peter Jackson’s Middle Earth trilogies. You might also notice that they look very similar to the hybrid vampires in Guillermo del Toro’s Blade 2.
Neil Marshall Replaces David Slade As Director Of ‘THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER’
HeatVision reports that The Last Voyage of The Demeter is finally moving forward as a new director has been named. Genre director Neil Marshall has been hired but it’s unknown if any of the original cast members will stay on. Previously, David Slade (Hard Candy, 30 Days of Night) had been attached to helm the untold Dracula tale which focuses on the voyage to London where the crew of the Demeter are picked-off one by one. Actors such as Noomi Rapace, Jude Law and Ben Kingsley had been involved but seemingly have left the project. Marsall is best know for his cult-hits Dog Soldiers and The Descent but his recent films such as Centurion and Doomsday didn’t impress anyone. Neil might get a little buzz later this year as he’s been hired by HBO to direct an episode of Game of Thrones that will air this season.
Nicolas Winding Refn Wants To Make ‘I Walk With The Dead’ With Carey Mulligan Next
Guillermo Del Toro Will Adapt The Strain Into A Film
Deadline recent announced highlighted the Dracula trend in Hollywood. In the same article it was also briefly mentioned that Guillermo del Toro was aiming to adapt his novel The Strain co-written by Chuck Hogan into a film. There are expectations it could end up a new horror franchise. Strain, is a contemporary vampire horror story focusing on vamperism as an viral outbreak. Guillermo is currently working on Pacific Rim with Beauty And The Beast on the horizon. Not to mention projects such as Frankenstein, Hellboy 3 and the Haunted Mansion in the works.
Dracula Year Zero Gets New Director
Deadline reports that Dracula Year Zero which was in limbo has a new director. Alex Proyas, who was set to direct originally decided to pursue Paradise Lost instead putting the vampire film on ice. Now, it looks like Dracula is being resurrected one more time with newcomer Gary Shore at the helm. Shore isn’t well known but you might remember one of his shorts that made it’s rounds the web a while back. It featured Wolverine and a partner slashing their way through the Hand. The quick short was visually stunning and it seems it helped Gary land this project. Currently, Paradise Lost has been given the axe by Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros., so Proyas is back onboard as the film’s producer.
Universal Pictures has hired Matt Sazama & Burk Sharpless to rework the film’s script. Sam Worthington who was originally attached to play Prince Vlad of Transylvania (Vlad The Impaler) has left the project. I assume that Universal will start movement on it’s production soon as another Dracula project titled Harker is also on the horizon. The film won’t be taking it’s cues from Bram Stoker’s novel but rather the myth of Vlad The Impaler and his battles against the Turks. This was somewhat explored in the opening scenes of Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula.
Jim Jarmusch Making Vampire Film Starring Michael Fassbender, Mia Wasikowska, Tilda Swinton & John Hurt
ThePlaylist reports that Jim Jarmusch’s next film will be an untitled “crypto-vampire-love story”. Details are unknown but Michael Fassbender, Mia Wasikowska and Tilda Swinton will play vampires. While John Hurt (Alien) is also involved in unnamed role. I’m curious to see how this turns out as his last couple of films have fallen flat and it’s genre aspect reminds me of his excellent Ghost Dog: The Way of The Samurai. Fassbender and Wasikowska previously worked together recently on Jane Eyre.
CINEMA INVASION 