Indie horror favorite Adam Green has written in his Ariescope Pictures blog with a lengthy post. After discussing his exploits as an animal savior, he gives detailed (well, as much as he can) updates to fans on the status of his upcoming affairs, including CHILLERAMA, KILLER PIZZA and HATCHET 3. I hope you have your reading glasses!
CHILLERAMA, the horror anthology he created with Tim Sullivan, Joe Lynch and Adam Rifkin, will be released in the fall by Image Entertainment. Green says, “CHILLERAMA is in the final days of technical completion, meaning color correction, sound, and visual effects. As you may have seen it has already been announced that the film will be playing UK FrightFest in London this August and many more worldwide screening dates will be announced shortly. And by shortly, I mean within hours of when this blog posts to the ArieScope site. In fact… one of the screenings we’re going to announce is happening in a matter of days in the United States. CHILLERAMA is going to come at you fast and furious which makes me so happy I can’t even express it. Festivals and special theatrical screenings/events will be quickly followed by the On-Demand premiere and DVD, so you won’t have to wait long for it at all. However, this movie was made to be the ultimate midnight drive-in movie. It’s a ridiculous good time and it is meant to be seen with a rowdy crowd… so if you have the chance to see it theatrically (especially in a drive-in or other outdoor environment) – DO IT. We’re going to try and do what we can to bring the experience we were so lucky to grow up with to a whole new generation of fans who never got to see a B-movie at the drive-in, so pay attention to your favorite genre news source (or the ArieScope website) and keep both of your eyes out for screening news.”
KILLER PIZZA, his next film, was was announced last year. He is fine-tuning the script but doesn’t know if he’ll be directing. “This is a big studio movie so unfortunately it isn’t like one of my independent productions where I can decide for myself how much information to spill and when I can spill it. Here’s what I can say without overstepping my boundaries, the producers are in the process of closing their deal with the major studio they intend to make the movie with. Once that happens perhaps they’ll announce the news. My script is done but once we get things going with the studio there will inevitably be more suggestions, comments, and changes for me to address in rewrites as is the norm with these size projects. In fact, I’ll likely be making changes and tweaks right up through the film’s eventual production, so don’t expect to hear major news anytime soon and just trust that once I’m allowed to share information… I won’t forget to share it with you. In doing press for CHILLERAMA a big question has been ‘Are you directing KILLER PIZZA?’ My answer right now… ‘I don’t know.’ I would love to if given the chance and it has certainly been discussed- but let’s see how it all plays out. What I can say is that so far it has been a fantastic experience and over the past year I’ve gotten to work with a team of producers that I couldn’t respect or adore more. The process has been the kind you dream about as a writer. Best of all, once again I’ve found myself getting to meet and work closely with someone who was a childhood idol of mine… and once again they have lived up to every expectation I could have put upon them. Chris Columbus and his team at 1492 Films have treated me amazingly well and they are all truly class acts. All is well.”
And how about Victory Crowley’s return for HATCHET III, on which Green will serve as producer? “HATCHET III will likely start production early next year – at least that is the first potential time period where it seems all of the players involved could actually be available do it. ArieScope and Dark Sky recently had our first serious ‘let’s buckle down and get started ironing this out’ call since the third installment was green-lit a few months ago and we’re all thrilled to be making the next chapter in the franchise. The reactions to HATCHET II have been astounding and we’re all so blown away by how well the film did- even with the travesty of the movie being so unceremoniously assassinated by the powers that be during it’s theatrical run. Point is, the second film was such a big success critically and financially and the Hatchet Army was so happy with it that we have a lot of pressure to deliver on Part 3 and we want to raise the bar yet again. So this isn’t something we can rush into doing. Also, even if I indeed choose not to be in the director’s chair this time- you can bet I’ll still be standing over it doing everything I can to help keep the ship on course. ”What’s the plot? Who’s in it? If you’re not directing it- who is?” Too soon to reveal that stuff even if I already have some of the answers. Point is, the soonest it’s going to start shooting would be early 2012- which is actually not that far away now. Right now the major players in the HATCHET universe are all occupied with other projects, especially myself. There is a collective heart and tight knit family behind HATCHET and we’re not going to create the next chapter until we’re all available and ready to play. Thankfully, our partner and distributor Dark Sky Films totally gets that and feels the same way about doing it right as opposed to just doing it fast. For those that think it’s taking too long to get started, keep in mind that I waited 5 years between the actual making of HATCHET and the making of HATCHET II. I need to be ready and I need time to focus on my other stories and projects. Thankfully so many of my fans understand and appreciate that between every HATCHET film I also need something like a SPIRAL, a GRACE, and a FROZEN to feel creatively complete.”
What else is in store for Green? He says that he is collaborating with a comic book creator for a project that will be announced at Comic-Con. Green is also teaming up with artist Alex Pardee for a documentary about “monster art” tentatively titled DIGGING UP THE MARROW. “It’s a documentary so production is going to be spread out over a long time- but if you love genre based art and have often wondered what kind of reality an artist’s fantastical creature design comes from, I think you’ll find this project fascinating.”
Last but not least, Green teases a secret project that he has been working on for quite some time. “In a few more weeks I’ll be able to spill the beans on something else I’ve been working on for years and years and years that finally started to come to fruition a few months ago. A project I have been working on all day and all night obsessively writing since March. For me it’s actually the most important of all of my ‘children’ as it is the project I’ve been tied to and working on the longest and therefore the one closest to my heart. I just need some legal i’s to be dotted and some contractual t’s to be crossed and then all will be revealed. My only hint is that it is something that is going to bring me back to my original comedy roots… but I’m also bringing the horror with me.”
There you have it, a long update on all things Adam Green. Of all of the projects mentioned, which one are you looking forward to most?