Remember when I remarked on how bizarre it was that 21 Jump Street was being adapted into a feature-length film, by Judd Apatow of all people? Remember that?
Well, this is officially the most bizarre film-related news I've heard in some time.
Plan 9 From Outer Space, the epically bad movie by Ed Wood, the "Worst Director of All-Time," is being remade.
The thing is, it's not going to be remade into a campy feature. Oh, no. If you want novelty fun, watch the original. John Johnson, the director taking over the project, says he's setting out to make Plan 9 From Outer Space into a "very scary", "character-driven", "serious-minded" film.
Now, I know what you're thinking...
WHAT
The film, due out on September 9, 2009 (09/09/09... clever, no?), will simply be titled Plan 9. It even has an official website and a logo, pictured below:
Here's a bit from the press release:
I pride myself on my ability to reserve judgment on a film until I've seen it, as very little can be gleamed from a trailer or a press release. Sometimes a film can surprise you, even against all of your expectations (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl). However, this news is just...
I realize we're at a place right now where original filmmaking is hard to come by. Hollywood churns out remakes of Asian horror films annually, and classic films continue to be remade and modernized. I have made my peace with that, but Hollywood, do we need to try and take some good, old-fashioned, campy fun and turn it into serious drama? Really? Can't we just let some films be?
Here's a bit from the press release:
Simply titled "Plan 9", the remake will be a serious-minded retelling of the original story, paying homage to the spirit of Wood's film without resorting to camp or parody. The film will focus on the horror and science fiction aspects of the original, but will also be largely character-driven.
I pride myself on my ability to reserve judgment on a film until I've seen it, as very little can be gleamed from a trailer or a press release. Sometimes a film can surprise you, even against all of your expectations (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl). However, this news is just...
WHAT
I realize we're at a place right now where original filmmaking is hard to come by. Hollywood churns out remakes of Asian horror films annually, and classic films continue to be remade and modernized. I have made my peace with that, but Hollywood, do we need to try and take some good, old-fashioned, campy fun and turn it into serious drama? Really? Can't we just let some films be?
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14 comments:
WHAT??!!?
If it was April 1st, I'd think you were kidding.
How much do you want to bet they had the release date before they decided what movie they could make?
"nine nine nine...what's a movie we can make with nines??"
How much do you want to bet they had the release date before they decided what movie they could make?
That's actually the first thing that came to mind:
"I wonder if they're just making this film so they can use a cool release date."
There's just no other logical reason for this insanity.
Though, I should add, "logic" and "insanity" typically don't go hand-in-hand, haha
That post is too damn funny. Well done!
Will they release "Nine" on the same date? Overload!
That is an interesting question. I think Nine will be released in December, but it would be really funny if it were released 09/09/09.
Is there such a paucity of original ideas that something would be remade that never had a much of an audience, or presented anything of interest, in the first place? They'll be looking to old TV commercials, the small print on candy wrappers, and traffic signage for ideas next.
I'm still trying to get my mind around this quote: "homage to the spirit of Wood's film without resorting to camp or parody"
How does that work exactly? Next they'll be making porno without all the sexy bits?
I don't think there are any sexy bits in porno :-)
sartre, you took the words right out of my mouth.
I meant bits with sex in them.
My feelings on this:
If you try and make a dramatic feature out of a campy classic, it will inevitably end up being even campier.
I just... I seriously... I don't know what these people are thinking. WHY?
It has caused me to put Plan 9 From Outer Space on my Netflix queue. That movie is just way too fun.
I have to keep coming back to this post to make sure I didn't just imagine it.
I'm still waiting to find out that this was all a big joke.
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