German filmmaker Uwe Boll, director of such bargin bin fodder as ALONE IN THE DARK, BLOODRAYNE, and FAR CRY is in the news again, and this time, it's because he's targeting the upcoming release of RAMPAGE starring Dwayne Johnson. According to a lengthy post on the HOUSE OF THE DEAD director's official website, Boll has taken umbrage with Warner Bros. on account of that he released a trilogy of films also titled RAMPAGE. The first film in Boll's RAMPAGE trilogy was released in 2009, with the final installment to the series having been unleashed in 2017. In Boll's version, a man with a thirst for revenge builds a full body armor from Kevlar and goes on a killing spree. So … yeah, they're not remotely close to being about the same thing. For starters, Johnson's Davis Okoye character is trying to save people, not kill them. I could go on, but I think we all know the deal here.
With Brad Peyton's kaiju-sized action film just weeks away from release, Boll has posted a rant about the film on his website (and further comments through his personal Twitter account). You can read what he's barking about, this time, below:
"Uwe Boll is currently reviewing his options to pursue litigation against motion picture studio Warner Bros. and Producer New Line for using his brand RAMPAGE as the title for the upcoming motion picture starring Dwayne Johnson, also known as the Rock. Boll released 3 original Rampage movies in 2009, 2014 and 2017. This movie trilogy had a quick turnaround amassing large cult following on DVD and entities like Netflix."
Boll then followed the posting with a more direct message of his own:
"We are living now in a world where Independent Movies are dead and the big players only are making all the money. That they then use developed brands and ideas from established series such as my Rampage films in order to make even more money is unfair but typical. The new RAMPAGE movie will shrink my brand and my revenues I can make in the future with my RAMPAGE movies. It also confuses the audience! I want that WARNERS change the title, especially because the new movie has nothing to do with a RAMPAGE and looks more like Jumanji 2 and is one of those typical feelgood, popcorn bullshit movies that the studios use to brainwash America even more! All these kind of movies including Transformers, Avengers are helping the military industrial complex in America to win and have retards like Trump be American President who would say that the earth is flat as soon they think they can benefit from this!"
Oh c'mon, dude! While I admit that the independant film market is a rough road to travel, to say that Peyton's RAMPAGE – a film inspired directly from the arcade classic video game series – is pulling from your RAMPAGE trilogy is kind of absurd. Anyway, you can decide for yourself what to make of Boll's claims, and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. Oh, and if you need more fuel for the fire, you can check out Boll's personal Twitter account, where he's been throwing even more shade at the forthcoming Peyton-directed thrillride.
RAMPAGE, starring Dwayne Johnson, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Will Yun Lee, Malin Akerman, Naomie Harris, and Joe Manganiello will arrive in theaters on April 13th.