Last Week in Horror was some kind of post-ComicCon orgy of news.  Either this was all left over from the con and took a week to rise to the top or PR folk knew their news wasn’t big enough to rock a convention and thus waited a week.  Whatever the case, I feel like this post took longer to gather than most.

Xingu Films announced AMERICAN REAPER, which is a sci-fi film whose concept I love.  John Carpenter got a non-horror directing gig, which is the best thing for him these days, if you ask me.  Which you did.  Some GHOSTBUSTERS rumors.  Two people who yet to impress me may muck up my beloved Alexandre Aja remake of PIRANHA.  Lionsgate is fielding all kinds of heat in the fallout of their guided MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN release debacle.

But most importantly.  THE THING!  Remade!  As a music video!

Theatrical Trailers and Clips

• MY NAME IS BRUCE – New trailer.  Yes, this is going theatrical.

Studio News and Attachments

• Meant to mention this last week, but Francis Lawrence confirms work on a prequel to I AM LEGEND.  As of right now, they are just trying “to crack that.“
• Xingu Films, apparently run by Sting’s wife, the same outfit behind the Sam Rockwell stuck on a space station with his clone movie MOON, have a new flick in the works called AMERICAN REAPER.  Said story, a yet unpublished graphic novel, takes place in a future where identity theft comes by way of someone blanking your memory and implanting their own.  Could be a criminal doing it, could be a rich old person who wants to be young again.  I love it.
• Nu Image films has a film in the works based off the prison program with the same name, SCARED STRAIGHT, to star The Forehead Cage and to be directed by The Forehead Carpenter.
• Apparently even though no one loved “FEAR ITSELF”, the business model for the show (surprise) was so flexible that, “you almost can’t lose” at it.  This said by NBC exec Ben Silverman despite the show being removed from the peacock’s lineup with no return in sight.
• GHOSTBUSTERS has more in the works than just a videogame?  Will hand the franchise over to Seth Rogen, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd and Romany Malco?

Remakes

• Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan have been brought in to rewrite PIRANHA 3D for Aja.  Sadder I could not be.
• Rogue Pictures is eyeing a remake of THE PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS after they finish up work on Craven’s LAST HOUSE redo.
• Guillermo Del Toro to produce a remake of ’73 TV movie DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK.

Random, Indie and Foreign News

• Are you the person that loves the UNDERWORLD movies!?  If so, rejoice!  IDW is doing a comic series based on it.  Oddly the world keeps spinning for me.
• We should all know by now that MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN isn’t having the best of luck these days.  I offered one the reason why.
• Kasandra Peterson goes without the Elvira to star in THE BLOOD SHED.   Hopefully the Elvira neckline stays.
• Ryan Schifrin, he who made ABOMINABLE, wrote a graphic novel which of course means it has already been optioned for live-action.  Series is called SPOOKED SPOOKS and sounds an awful lot like HELLBOY meets THE MONSTER SQUAD.
• THE THING remade as a music video in stop motion animation with G.I. Joes.  Brilliant!

Non-Theatrical Trailers and Clips

• DYING BREED – More Australian inbred rednecks.
• PULSE 2: AFTERLIFE – Clip
• OROCHI – Trailer
• NIGHTMARE DETECTIVE 2 – Trailers
• MUM AND DAD – Trailer
• DEAD FURY – Trailer

Tags: American Reaper, Fear Itself, Image Entertainment, John Carpenter, Lionsgate, Midnight Meat Train, Moon, My Name is Bruce, Piranha 3D, Sam Rockwell, Spooked, Xingu Films