Three and a half years ago, Sony’s Columbia Pictures announced that they were developing a reboot / reimagining of the 1997 “nature run amok” thriller Anaconda (watch it Here), with the intention of “taking what was a simple and relatively cheap programmer with a B-movie concept and event-izing it in scope and budget.” Tom Gormican is on board to write (and possibly direct) the film as his follow-up to the well-received action comedy The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, and we’ve heard that this new take on the concept of Anaconda might be taking a meta approach, with “actors playing loose fictional versions of themselves who go off to make an Anaconda movie and all hell breaks loose.” There was a rumor that Pedro Pascal and Paul Rudd had been offered roles in the film… But while we wait to see how that project is going to pan out, Sony Pictures...
- 3/26/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Three and a half years ago, Sony’s Columbia Pictures announced that they were developing a reboot / reimagining of the 1997 “nature run amok” thriller Anaconda (watch it Here), with the intention of “taking what was a simple and relatively cheap programmer with a B-movie concept and event-izing it in scope and budget”. Early last year, we heard that Tom Gormican would be writing (and possibly directing) the film as his follow-up to the well-received action comedy The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, which starred Nicolas Cage and Pedro Pascal. Now industry scooper Jeff Sneider of The Hot Mic video podcast has dropped the rumor that this new take on the concept of Anaconda might be taking a meta approach.
The original Anaconda was directed by Luis Llosa from a script by Hans Bauer, Jim Cash, and Jack Epps Jr. It had the following synopsis: Filmmaker Terri Flores is traveling deep...
The original Anaconda was directed by Luis Llosa from a script by Hans Bauer, Jim Cash, and Jack Epps Jr. It had the following synopsis: Filmmaker Terri Flores is traveling deep...
- 1/19/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
The Anaconda episode of The Black Sheep was Written and Narrated by Andrew Hatfield, Edited by Ryan Cultrera, Produced by Lance Vlcek and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.
I’ll be the first to admit my mistakes. When I made that Alligator 2 defense, and no, doing that video is not the mistake I’m referring to, I mentioned that the giant monster movie had become somewhat of a lost art, particularly in the ’90s. Then I ended up rewatching Anaconda (watch it Here) and realized I had totally forgotten about it. That’s because it got lost in the likes of Deep Blue Sea and Lake Placid. Both those movies seem to have longer lasting impacts. Deep Blue Sea has that great surprise kill and Lake Placid has, well, it has Betty White. There are others, too. The Relic is a gory fun time, Bats isn...
I’ll be the first to admit my mistakes. When I made that Alligator 2 defense, and no, doing that video is not the mistake I’m referring to, I mentioned that the giant monster movie had become somewhat of a lost art, particularly in the ’90s. Then I ended up rewatching Anaconda (watch it Here) and realized I had totally forgotten about it. That’s because it got lost in the likes of Deep Blue Sea and Lake Placid. Both those movies seem to have longer lasting impacts. Deep Blue Sea has that great surprise kill and Lake Placid has, well, it has Betty White. There are others, too. The Relic is a gory fun time, Bats isn...
- 6/15/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Three and a half years ago, Sony’s Columbia Pictures announced that they were developing a reboot / reimagining of the 1997 “nature run amok” thriller Anaconda (watch it Here), with the intention of “taking what was a simple and relatively cheap programmer with a B-movie concept and event-izing it in scope and budget”. They’re obviously sticking with the idea of going big with this one, because reliable “inside scoop” provider Daniel Richtman has heard that the lead roles have been offered to Paul Rudd and Pedro Pascal!
We have to take this as a Rumor for right now, since there hasn’t been any sort of official confirmation regarding this news, but it does make sense. Paul Rudd stars in Sony’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife and its upcoming sequel, so of course they’d want to keep working with him on their event-sized Anaconda movie. And a few months ago, we...
We have to take this as a Rumor for right now, since there hasn’t been any sort of official confirmation regarding this news, but it does make sense. Paul Rudd stars in Sony’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife and its upcoming sequel, so of course they’d want to keep working with him on their event-sized Anaconda movie. And a few months ago, we...
- 6/2/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products announced each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.
Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!
Jamie Lee Curtis Signed Photo from My Hand In Yours
Jamie Lee Curtis made her first and only horror convention appearance back in 2012. If you missed out, the Halloween star is offering signed, personalized, and authenticated 8×10 prints featuring Laurie Strode from Halloween Ends.
They’re available from My Hand In Yours for $150 this month only in honor of Make March Matter, after which the price will go up to $200. All profits are donated to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
Leatherface Action Figures from Trick or Treat Studios
Trick or Treat Studios has unveiled Leatherface 1:6 scale action figures based on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre...
Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!
Jamie Lee Curtis Signed Photo from My Hand In Yours
Jamie Lee Curtis made her first and only horror convention appearance back in 2012. If you missed out, the Halloween star is offering signed, personalized, and authenticated 8×10 prints featuring Laurie Strode from Halloween Ends.
They’re available from My Hand In Yours for $150 this month only in honor of Make March Matter, after which the price will go up to $200. All profits are donated to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
Leatherface Action Figures from Trick or Treat Studios
Trick or Treat Studios has unveiled Leatherface 1:6 scale action figures based on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre...
- 3/3/2023
- by Alex DiVincenzo
- bloody-disgusting.com
DreamWorks has set Joe Carnahan ("The Grey," "Narc") to write and direct their long-gestating action thriller "Motorcade".
The story deals with a terrorist attack on the U.S. President's motorcade as he travels through Los Angeles, and was originally pitched back in 2004 by Hans Bauer and Craig Mitchell.
Several other high-profile names have been linked to the project in the past including Tom Cruise and Len Wiseman. Billy Ray previously took at shot at the script which shifted the original pitch's action from New York to Los Angeles.
It's unclear what changes Carnahan's version will employ just yet. Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald will executive produce.
Source: Heat Vision...
The story deals with a terrorist attack on the U.S. President's motorcade as he travels through Los Angeles, and was originally pitched back in 2004 by Hans Bauer and Craig Mitchell.
Several other high-profile names have been linked to the project in the past including Tom Cruise and Len Wiseman. Billy Ray previously took at shot at the script which shifted the original pitch's action from New York to Los Angeles.
It's unclear what changes Carnahan's version will employ just yet. Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald will executive produce.
Source: Heat Vision...
- 3/12/2015
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Joe Carnahan has been tapped to write and direct Motorcade for DreamWorks, a project that the studio has had in the works for over a decade.
The thriller will center on a Secret Service agent who fails to stop a deadly and vicious attack on the President of the United States as he rides in a motorcade.
Hans Bauer and Craig Mitchell originally pitched the pic to DreamWorks back in 2004, and the studio picked it up for a modest sum. Over the years, writers Ehren Kruger, Billy Ray and Robert Rodat have all circled for rewrites, and Jon Cassar was at one point attached to direct, but somehow Motorcade has yet to be made. Carnahan, though, is expected to take it on as his next project.
The helmer last made comic thriller Stretch, starring Patrick Wilson, for Blumhouse, which eventually tabled its release and quietly sent it on to Netflix,...
The thriller will center on a Secret Service agent who fails to stop a deadly and vicious attack on the President of the United States as he rides in a motorcade.
Hans Bauer and Craig Mitchell originally pitched the pic to DreamWorks back in 2004, and the studio picked it up for a modest sum. Over the years, writers Ehren Kruger, Billy Ray and Robert Rodat have all circled for rewrites, and Jon Cassar was at one point attached to direct, but somehow Motorcade has yet to be made. Carnahan, though, is expected to take it on as his next project.
The helmer last made comic thriller Stretch, starring Patrick Wilson, for Blumhouse, which eventually tabled its release and quietly sent it on to Netflix,...
- 3/12/2015
- by Isaac Feldberg
- We Got This Covered
Before Tom Cruise decided to star in Knight & Day for James Mangold he was considering several projects. One was The Tourist, which Johnny Depp ultimately took, another was The Matarese Circle, which would have put him alongside Denzel Washington with David Cronenberg directing and the other was Motorcade, a thriller that was, at the time, to be directed by Len Wiseman, who instead went on to direct the Total Recall reboot. Looking at those options, it seems Cruise made the best choice for the time, but Motorcade never really died and Dreamworks is now ready to bring it back to life. It was just announced Joe Carnahan has been brought aboard to direct the thriller which pits the U.S. president against terrorists who commandeer his motorcade on the streets of Los Angeles and Carnahan is bringing along his Smokin' Aces star Ryan Reynolds to play a disgraced Secret Service...
- 3/11/2015
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Joe Carnahan has signed on to write and direct Motorcade, the long-in-the-works action thriller set up at DreamWorks. Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald are executive producing. The story centers on a Secret Service agent who fails to prevent an attack that occurs on the president of the United States and his motorcade. DreamWorks picked up the project as a pitch from Hans Bauer and Craig Mitchell back in 2004 for low- to mid-six figures. The project always has attracted a level of interest and drew writers Ehren Kruger, Billy Ray and Robert Rodat to it for
read more...
read more...
- 3/11/2015
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Tonight’s mission on Undercovers featured a device that could blow all of the CIA operatives covers, and the Blooms are called in to save the day… although Carlton Shaw would rather eat a bowl of razors than let the Blooms in on another case.
Berlin, Germany
Two well suited, German men infiltrate a secluded hospital, killing two personnel in the process. They are looking for a patient, who turns out being a psych patient named Mathias Faber, who has a love for jelly beans. The men extract Mathias with promise to return him after he does what they say,
Los Angeles, California
After some morning lovin’, Sam and Steven prepare themselves for a catering job meeting, which they seriously need money for. They discover Carlton Shaw in their living room, chilling like a villain and ready to brief them on their next case.
Shaw tells them of an agency informant named Hans Bauer,...
Berlin, Germany
Two well suited, German men infiltrate a secluded hospital, killing two personnel in the process. They are looking for a patient, who turns out being a psych patient named Mathias Faber, who has a love for jelly beans. The men extract Mathias with promise to return him after he does what they say,
Los Angeles, California
After some morning lovin’, Sam and Steven prepare themselves for a catering job meeting, which they seriously need money for. They discover Carlton Shaw in their living room, chilling like a villain and ready to brief them on their next case.
Shaw tells them of an agency informant named Hans Bauer,...
- 10/7/2010
- by Mark O. Estes
- TVovermind.com
DreamWorks has had developing the Motorcade script by Hans Bauer and Craig Mitchell on their agenda for years, but it never quite seemed to come together as a viable project. Now, however, with a little script doctoring and a celebrated TV producer/director attached, Motorcade seems done spinning its wheels.
Motorcade tells the story of an ousted Secret Service agent who happens to be on hand when the U.S. President is kidnapped. Originally planned as a Tom Cruise vehicle with Len Wiseman directing, the script for Motorcade is now being worked on by Billy Ray. Jon Cassar is attached as director, which would mark the 24 producer/director's first gig helming a theatrical production. Variety reports that Cruise is no longer in consideration for the lead role, with DreamWorks interested in casting Ryan Reynolds instead.
Next Showing:
Link | Posted 10/8/2009 by BrentJS
Jon Cassar | Ryan Reynolds...
Motorcade tells the story of an ousted Secret Service agent who happens to be on hand when the U.S. President is kidnapped. Originally planned as a Tom Cruise vehicle with Len Wiseman directing, the script for Motorcade is now being worked on by Billy Ray. Jon Cassar is attached as director, which would mark the 24 producer/director's first gig helming a theatrical production. Variety reports that Cruise is no longer in consideration for the lead role, with DreamWorks interested in casting Ryan Reynolds instead.
Next Showing:
Link | Posted 10/8/2009 by BrentJS
Jon Cassar | Ryan Reynolds...
- 10/8/2009
- by BrentJS Sprecher
- Reelzchannel.com
Jon Cassar, the co-executive producer and frequent director of Fox's 24, is sliding into the director's chair for Motorcade, the long gestating action-thriller that's been in development at DreamWorks. Ryan Reynolds is now attached to play the lead role, a disgraced Secret Service agent that gets embroiled in a kidnapping attempt of the President of the United States.
DreamWorks is hoping to have Motorcade shooting by this time or earlier next year. The script is by Hans Bauer and Craig Mitchell, with Billy Ray (State of Play) performing rewrites at the present time.
Cassar's directed 59 episodes of 24 so he's got plenty of experience ordering around a jiggling camera. This would be his first feature film.
DreamWorks is hoping to have Motorcade shooting by this time or earlier next year. The script is by Hans Bauer and Craig Mitchell, with Billy Ray (State of Play) performing rewrites at the present time.
Cassar's directed 59 episodes of 24 so he's got plenty of experience ordering around a jiggling camera. This would be his first feature film.
- 10/7/2009
- by Patrick Sauriol
- Corona's Coming Attractions
DreamWorks is moving forward with Motorcade , hiring director Jon Cassar, best known as co-executive producer and a prolific helmer of the Fox TV drama "24." The studio hopes to get the picture into production by late summer or early fall 2010, and DreamWorks is eying Ryan Reynolds to play the disgraced Secret Service agent who happens to be in the wrong place at the right time when the U.S. president is kidnapped in New York. Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald are producing. Billy Ray continues to work on a script that was originated by Hans Bauer and Craig Mitchell.
- 10/7/2009
- Comingsoon.net
DreamWorks has given a new lease of life to Motorcade, a project that has taken its time getting off the ground, by putting the film into the safe hands of Jon Cassar.
Hans Bauer and Craig Mitchell originally drafted the script for the action thriller, telling the story of a disgraced Secret Service agent who happens to be in the wrong place at the right time when the American President is kidnapped while driving in his motorcade through New York. Billy Ray then took over writing duties, and last year Len Wiseman was in talks to direct and Tom Cruise showed an interest in playing the lead.
Now it seems the man for the helmer's job is Cassar, who is best known for directing 59 episodes of 24, as well as the spinoff telepic, 24: Redemption. And although nothing has been signed on the dotted line yet, DreamWorks is eyeing up Ryan Reynolds for the lead role,...
Hans Bauer and Craig Mitchell originally drafted the script for the action thriller, telling the story of a disgraced Secret Service agent who happens to be in the wrong place at the right time when the American President is kidnapped while driving in his motorcade through New York. Billy Ray then took over writing duties, and last year Len Wiseman was in talks to direct and Tom Cruise showed an interest in playing the lead.
Now it seems the man for the helmer's job is Cassar, who is best known for directing 59 episodes of 24, as well as the spinoff telepic, 24: Redemption. And although nothing has been signed on the dotted line yet, DreamWorks is eyeing up Ryan Reynolds for the lead role,...
- 10/7/2009
- Screenrush
Jon Cassar will direct DreamWorks Pictures' "Motorcade." Billy Ray works on the screenplay originated by Hans Bauer and Craig Mitchell. Ryan Reynolds is being considered to star as a distrage Secret Service agent who is the wrong place at the right time when on the U.S. president is kidnapped during a visit to New York. Apparently, this was one of the projects Tom Cruise seriously considered when Len Wiseman ("Underworld," "Live Free or Die Hard") was attached to direct.
- 10/7/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Last we heard about Motorcade, Tom Cruise was set to star in the Len Wiseman-directed thriller - but one thing that never changes in Hollywood is the fact that things change. So now 24's Jon Cassar is directing and studio DreamWorks is chasing Ryan Reynolds to star.Of course, Reynolds is a bit busy right now gearing up for The Green Lantern, which starts shooting in the spring, but the hope is that this film will begin filming next summer or autumn, giving him time to do both.The story focuses on a disgraced Secret Service agent who happens to be in the right place at the right time to help when the Us President is kidnapped in New York.Billy Ray (2009's State of Play, Flightplan) is currently rewriting the script, from Hans Bauer and Craig Mitchell's (The Flock) original. What's the betting that, if Reynolds is cast,...
- 10/7/2009
- EmpireOnline
Not content to just mouth off as a superpowered merc or patrol the spaceways as an interstellar cop with yellow issues, Ryan Reynolds is currently in negotiations to board the action movie “Motorcade” for DreamWorks. Variety calls the movie a “drama”, but how can it possibly be a drama and not an action movie with a premise like this: Reynolds would play a disgraced Secret Service agent who happens to be in the wrong place at the right time when the U.S. president is kidnapped in New York. Come on, that screams action thriller! Or at least, “24″-esque. Which probably makes sense that Dreamworks has assigned former “24″ director/producer Jon Cassar to helm the project, taking over for Len Wiseman (”Live Free or Die Hard” and the “Underworld” films), who was attached to the movie a while back (with Tom Cruise interested, natch), but has since left for greener pastures.
- 10/7/2009
- by Nix
- Beyond Hollywood
Four months after the release of Bryan Singer’s Valkyrie, Tom Cruise is still organizing his future. The actor has a number of potential projects lined up, which seem to be at the top of the list for many studios. According to the trades, studios have spent millions of dollars in rewrite fees to custom-tailor projects for the star. The frontrunners for his next film appear to be the DreamWorks drama Motorcade, to be directed by Len Wiseman, followed by the Spyglass remake The Tourist (with Charlize Theron), to be helmed by Bharat Nalluri, and the Fox action comedy Wichita (with Cameron Diaz), which James Mangold will direct. Also still in the mix is MGM's The Matarese Circle, which potentially matches Cruise with Denzel Washington and director David Cronenberg. Motorcade, which was written by Billy Ray (Breach), centers on a group of terrorists attacking the president's motorcade as it traverses through Los Angeles.
- 4/22/2009
- by James Cook
- TheMovingPicture.net
Filmmaker Len Wiseman is in talks to direct DreamWorks' upcoming thriller "Motorcade," according to Variety.
Originally written by Hans Bauer and Craig Mitchell, the story centers on terrorists attacking the president's motorcade in Los Angeles.
The trade says Billy Ray, director of "Breach," is rewriting the screenplay. Wiseman most recently directed "Live Free or Die Hard." He also helmed the first two "Underworld" flicks.
Final word: Considering the United States has just elected a new president, I'm glad this project is only in early developmental stages instead of being ready for a theatrical release.
Originally written by Hans Bauer and Craig Mitchell, the story centers on terrorists attacking the president's motorcade in Los Angeles.
The trade says Billy Ray, director of "Breach," is rewriting the screenplay. Wiseman most recently directed "Live Free or Die Hard." He also helmed the first two "Underworld" flicks.
Final word: Considering the United States has just elected a new president, I'm glad this project is only in early developmental stages instead of being ready for a theatrical release.
- 11/15/2008
- by Franck Tabouring
- screeninglog.com
Len Wiseman is in talks to direct Motorcade, a DreamWorks thriller from writer Billy Ray about terrorists attacking the president's motorcade as it traverses through Los Angeles. Ray previously wrote and directed Shatter Glass and Breach as well as writing Suspect Hero, Hart’s War and the Jodie Foster thriller Flight Plan. Motorcade was originally scripted by Hans Bauer (Anaconda) and Craig Mitchell (Highwaymen). Wiseman, know for directing the two Underworld flicks and last summer’s Live Free or Die Hard, is also attached to direct New Line's Gears of War, which is based on Microsoft and Epic Games' hit video game. That flick revolves around a world reeling from an invasion by aliens known as the Locust, and a small team of elite soldiers who fight to retake the planet Sera and save its human inhabitants. Motorcade will be produced by Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald. Their credits include...
- 11/14/2008
- by James Cook
- TheMovingPicture.net
Len Wiseman, director of Live Free Or Die Hard and lucky bastard husband to Kate Beckinsale (right), is negotiating to direct the upcoming thriller Motorcade. The film is pretty much what you'd expect - terrorists plot to hijack the presidential motorcade. The film was written by Billy Ray (Shattered Glass) from a concept by Hans Bauer (any relation to Jack?) and Craig Mitchell. As I'm sure you've heard by now, Wiseman is set to direct a Gears Of War movie at New Line. Wiseman is...
- 11/14/2008
- by Mike Sampson
- JoBlo.com
Motorcade sounds simple enough and right up Len Wiseman's alley. A DreamWorks thriller, the film could promise tons of action.
Len Wiseman to Direct Motorcade
Considering that the thriller genre has been the highest scoring for DreamWorks, it is no surprise to see the studio cashing their bets here.
Originally scripted by Hans Bauer and Craig Mitchell -- rewritten by Billy Ray -- Motorcade is about terrorists attacking the president's motorcade as it traverses through Los Angeles. The idea is so simple that there is bound to be tons of Die Hard-like action.
Len Wiseman to Direct Motorcade
Considering that the thriller genre has been the highest scoring for DreamWorks, it is no surprise to see the studio cashing their bets here.
Originally scripted by Hans Bauer and Craig Mitchell -- rewritten by Billy Ray -- Motorcade is about terrorists attacking the president's motorcade as it traverses through Los Angeles. The idea is so simple that there is bound to be tons of Die Hard-like action.
- 11/14/2008
- www.canmag.com
Looks like Len Wiseman is throwing another possibility into the ring for likely projects with which to follow Die Hard 4: he’s considering helming the thriller Motorcade for DreamWorks. The Underworld creator is in negotiations to tackle the film, reports Variety, which would find terrorists attacking the Us president’s vehicle in Los Angeles. Breach writer-director Billy Ray is the man behind the script, a document that has also been through the hands of Craig Mitchell (Highwaymen) and Hans Bauer... .
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- 11/14/2008
- by jwhite
- TotalFilm
Script development and presidential motorcades have one essential thing in common: They must stay in motion or bad things will happen.
DreamWorks is applying this mantra to its thriller Motorcade by bringing on writer-director Billy Ray to change the script's route and keep the project moving forward. Motorcade is an action thriller about terrorists assaulting the president's procession as it snakes through Los Angeles.
Hans Bauer and Craig Mitchell sold their original pitch to DreamWorks in November 2004, with Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald producing. David Beaubaire and Jonathan Eirich are the execs steering the project for the studio.
Ray, who is repped by ICM, has embraced a shrewd mix of rewrites on such big-budget fare as Volcano, Flightplan and State of Play and more personal writing-directing assignments such as Shattered Glass, Breach and the forthcoming Hurricane Season at Universal.
DreamWorks is applying this mantra to its thriller Motorcade by bringing on writer-director Billy Ray to change the script's route and keep the project moving forward. Motorcade is an action thriller about terrorists assaulting the president's procession as it snakes through Los Angeles.
Hans Bauer and Craig Mitchell sold their original pitch to DreamWorks in November 2004, with Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald producing. David Beaubaire and Jonathan Eirich are the execs steering the project for the studio.
Ray, who is repped by ICM, has embraced a shrewd mix of rewrites on such big-budget fare as Volcano, Flightplan and State of Play and more personal writing-directing assignments such as Shattered Glass, Breach and the forthcoming Hurricane Season at Universal.
- 6/12/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Richard Gere has signed on to star in The Flock, a $35 million thriller that will mark the English-language debut of Hong Kong director Andrew Lau (Wai Keung Lau). Bauer Martinez, run by Philippe Martinez, is fully financing the film and will distribute via the studio's recently launched distribution entity, Bauer Martinez Distribution, with foreign sales being handled by Bauer Martinez International. Flock follows a hypervigilant federal agent (Gere) who, while training his young female replacement, must track down a missing girl who he is convinced is connected to a paroled sex offender he is investigating. Hans Bauer and Craig Mitchell wrote the script.
Where's J. Lo when you need her?
Back in 1997, when she was just Jenny from the block, Jennifer Lopez joined forces with Ice Cube, Eric Stoltz, Owen Wilson and a gleefully scenery-chomping Jon Voight to do battle with a nasty snake in the 1997 surprise hit Anaconda.
While the picture was a certified B-movie horror-thriller in all its trashy glory, it still managed to strike a chord in a guilty-pleasure sort of way.
There's more where that came from in the sequel, Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, and maybe it had to do with the resulting increased CGI budget (the original went the animatronic route), but the new edition is noticeably skimpy on familiar faces.
Unlike Voight, who memorably winked at the audience while he was being munched by the reptilian predator, not all of the performers gathered together here act like they're in on the joke.
But there are still sufficient cheap thrills and enough of the prevailing camp quality to scare up opening weekend numbers that should be well in line with the original's $16.6 million take, followed by a healthy video afterlife.
Where the first one followed the ill-fated Amazon trek taken by a documentary crew, the sequel is set in the jungles of Borneo, where a group of New York pharmacologists has converged in search of a rare orchid believed to hold the key to the production of a life-prolonging serum.
With little time to lose -- the flower only blooms for two weeks every seven years -- the team of scientists is hastily dispatched to the tropical location just in time for monsoon season and, as it so happens, mating season for a particular species of very large semiaquatic creature.
Even before the first attack, there's plenty of tension between the research team's egotistical lead scientist (Matthew Marsden) and the dubious, cell-phone-clutching company rep (Salli Richardson-Whitfield), the logical financial guy (Morris Chestnut), the neurotic computer geek (comic relief Eugene Byrd) and the tough guy loner boat owner (Johnny Messner doing his best Bogart) who agrees to take them all down the river for a hefty fee.
Naturally, part of the fun of these kinds of pictures is trying to figure out who'll be the first to become anaconda kibble based on their overall degree of annoyance (with venomous spiders and pesky leeches also doing their part), and in that regard the film doesn't disappoint.
Directed by Dwight Little (Free Willy 2, Murder at 1600) from a screenplay by John Clafin & Daniel Zelman and Michael Miner & Ed Neumeier (RoboCop), the picture ultimately overcomes some clunky dialogue and clunkier line readings to deliver the goods in a diminished-expectations manner, particularly when the bloodbath gets going.
There's a notable improvement in the visual effects this time around, and cinematographer Stephen F. Windon mines plenty of atmosphere from the authentic Fiji locations, but technical prowess isn't necessarily a desired thing in the B-movie universe, where the cheese factor is still a highly regarded component.
Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid
Screen Gems
Screen Gems presents a Middle Fork production
A film by Dwight Little
Credits:
Director: Dwight Little
Screenwriters: John Clafin & Daniel Zelman, Michael Miner & Ed Neumeier
Story: Hans Bauer, Jim Cash & Jack Epps Jr.
Producer: Verna Harrah
Executive producer: Jacobus Rose
Director of photography: Stephen F. Windon
Production designer: Bruce Perrin
Editors: Marcus D'Arcy, Marc Warner
Costume designer: Terry Ryan
Music: Nerida Tyson-Chew
Cast:
Bill Johnson: Johnny Messner
Sam Rogers: Kadee Strickland
Dr. Jack Byron: Matthew Marsden
Cole Burris: Eugene Byrd
Gail Stern: Salli Richardson-Whitfield
Dr. Ben Douglas: Nicholas Gonzalez
Tran: Karl Yune
Gordon Mitchell: Morris Chestnut
MPAA rating: PG-13
Running time -- 93 minutes...
Back in 1997, when she was just Jenny from the block, Jennifer Lopez joined forces with Ice Cube, Eric Stoltz, Owen Wilson and a gleefully scenery-chomping Jon Voight to do battle with a nasty snake in the 1997 surprise hit Anaconda.
While the picture was a certified B-movie horror-thriller in all its trashy glory, it still managed to strike a chord in a guilty-pleasure sort of way.
There's more where that came from in the sequel, Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, and maybe it had to do with the resulting increased CGI budget (the original went the animatronic route), but the new edition is noticeably skimpy on familiar faces.
Unlike Voight, who memorably winked at the audience while he was being munched by the reptilian predator, not all of the performers gathered together here act like they're in on the joke.
But there are still sufficient cheap thrills and enough of the prevailing camp quality to scare up opening weekend numbers that should be well in line with the original's $16.6 million take, followed by a healthy video afterlife.
Where the first one followed the ill-fated Amazon trek taken by a documentary crew, the sequel is set in the jungles of Borneo, where a group of New York pharmacologists has converged in search of a rare orchid believed to hold the key to the production of a life-prolonging serum.
With little time to lose -- the flower only blooms for two weeks every seven years -- the team of scientists is hastily dispatched to the tropical location just in time for monsoon season and, as it so happens, mating season for a particular species of very large semiaquatic creature.
Even before the first attack, there's plenty of tension between the research team's egotistical lead scientist (Matthew Marsden) and the dubious, cell-phone-clutching company rep (Salli Richardson-Whitfield), the logical financial guy (Morris Chestnut), the neurotic computer geek (comic relief Eugene Byrd) and the tough guy loner boat owner (Johnny Messner doing his best Bogart) who agrees to take them all down the river for a hefty fee.
Naturally, part of the fun of these kinds of pictures is trying to figure out who'll be the first to become anaconda kibble based on their overall degree of annoyance (with venomous spiders and pesky leeches also doing their part), and in that regard the film doesn't disappoint.
Directed by Dwight Little (Free Willy 2, Murder at 1600) from a screenplay by John Clafin & Daniel Zelman and Michael Miner & Ed Neumeier (RoboCop), the picture ultimately overcomes some clunky dialogue and clunkier line readings to deliver the goods in a diminished-expectations manner, particularly when the bloodbath gets going.
There's a notable improvement in the visual effects this time around, and cinematographer Stephen F. Windon mines plenty of atmosphere from the authentic Fiji locations, but technical prowess isn't necessarily a desired thing in the B-movie universe, where the cheese factor is still a highly regarded component.
Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid
Screen Gems
Screen Gems presents a Middle Fork production
A film by Dwight Little
Credits:
Director: Dwight Little
Screenwriters: John Clafin & Daniel Zelman, Michael Miner & Ed Neumeier
Story: Hans Bauer, Jim Cash & Jack Epps Jr.
Producer: Verna Harrah
Executive producer: Jacobus Rose
Director of photography: Stephen F. Windon
Production designer: Bruce Perrin
Editors: Marcus D'Arcy, Marc Warner
Costume designer: Terry Ryan
Music: Nerida Tyson-Chew
Cast:
Bill Johnson: Johnny Messner
Sam Rogers: Kadee Strickland
Dr. Jack Byron: Matthew Marsden
Cole Burris: Eugene Byrd
Gail Stern: Salli Richardson-Whitfield
Dr. Ben Douglas: Nicholas Gonzalez
Tran: Karl Yune
Gordon Mitchell: Morris Chestnut
MPAA rating: PG-13
Running time -- 93 minutes...
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