“LOST” alum Maggie Grace is set to star opposite Guy Pearce (Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark) in producer Luc Besson’s sci-fi actioner Lockout. Directed by James Mather, the film follows a convicted U.S. government agent’s (Pearce) attempt to rescue the president’s daughter (Grace) from a space prison riot in exchange for his freedom.
Grace, best known for her portrayal of spoiled rich girl Shannon Rutherford on ABC’s sci-fi drama “LOST,” made her (major) horror film debut in Columbia Pictures’ 2005 remake of John Carpenter’sThe Fog. Memorable roles in 2009’s Malice in Wonderland, a clever retelling of the “Alice in Wonderland” fable, and the 2008 abduction-thriller Taken followed.
The Ohio born, 27-year-old stunner will next be seen as vengeful vampire Irina Denali in Summit Entertainment’s final Twilight Saga movies, Breaking Dawn: Part 1 & 2, arriving in theaters on Nov. 18, 2011 and Nov. 16, 2012, respectively.
Upstart distro FilmDistrict has set a Feb. 24, 2012 release date for Lockout.
Screenwriter W. Peter Iliff, the man behind such ’90s classics as Point Break, Varsity Blues, and Patriot Games, is set to make his directorial debut this year with the white-knuckle survival-frightener Rites of Passage.
The film stars Wes Bentley (Jonah Hex) as Benny, a psychotic loner looking to secretly perform an ancient Chumash Indian ritual on his secluded beach side property. An unexpected visit from his brother and a group of drunken, sexed-up college kids complicates matters , however, when their actions trigger the ire of Benny’s deranged meth-addicted groundskeeper Delgado, played by Christian Slater (Heathers).
Also along for the ride are Stephen Dorf (Immortals) as anthropology teacher Nash, a very grown up and bikini-clad Kate Maberly (The Secret Garden) as troubled student Dani, and Briana Evigan as bootylicious party girl Penelope, who—according to Clatto informants—owns one of the sexiest cat-and-mouse sequences ever committed to film.
Rites of Passage is the latest in a string of frighteners starring Evigan. The 24-year-old starlet can also be seen in the Donnie Darko sequel S. Darko, E1 Entertainment’s Sorority Row, the Lionsgate thriller Burning Bright, and director Darren Lynn Bousman’s upcoming remake Mother’s Day.
Former Guns & Roses/Velvet Revolver guitarist Slash announced the launch of Slasher Films at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. The 45-year-old musician told reporters that he had four projects currently in development: Nothing to Fear, Wake the Dead (an adaptation of the graphic novel), Vincenzo Natali’sTheorem, and The Other Kingdom, a hospital-based thriller from the writer of Event Horizon.
Production on Nothing to Fear, a demonic frightener, is slated to begin later this year. But, if you just can’t wait to see what Slash has got under his hat for horror fans, you can get an idea by checking out his new music video for the song “Beautiful Dangerous.” The video features Black Eye Peas’ singer and meal-ticket Fergie as an obsessed groupie-turned-stalker on the verge of losing her mind … and pants.
Rocker/director Rob Zombie is set to roll camera this spring on his new frightener Lords of Salem. Set in modern day Salem, Massachusetts, the film follows a 300-year-old coven of witches as they wreak havoc on the townsfolk.
Oren Peli, Jason Blum, and Steven Schneider—the team behind Paranormal Activity and Insidious—will produce through their company Haunted Films. No word yet on who will star in the film, but my knack for the obvious tells me to expect an appearance from Zombie’s old lady Sheri Moon (pictured above).
Zombie first made his foray into movie making in 2003 with the white-trash family horror show House of a 1000 Corpses. A sequel, The Devil’s Rejects, followed in ’05. Unlike his much maligned Halloween 1 & 2 remakes, both films have achieved cult status.
Visually, I find Zombie’s directing style absolutely compelling. His stories and dialogue? Not so much. And, what’s with the ongoing white trash angle in every damn film? If the Lords of Salem turn out to be hillbillies in pointy hats, I’m gonna burn my White Zombie catalog.
Red Lights revolves around a para-psychologist (Weaver) and her young assistant’s (Murphy) attempt to derail a respected psychic’s (De Niro) comeback after a 30-year hiatus. The film began production this week and is Cortes followup to last year’s Hitchcockian frightener Buried.
Richardson will also be seen in director David Fincher’s American film adaptation of late Swedish author Stieg Larsson’s bestselling novel “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” The 45-year-old looker is best known in the States for playing icy, midget-loving, bi-curious matriarch Julia McNamara on the outrageous F/X series “Nip/Tuck.”
Kaboom, director Gregg Araki’s (The Doom Generation) love letter to actor Thomas Dekker’s baby-blues, is the kind of arthouse/hipster vomit that challenges moviegoers—not hopped up on goofballs—to keep from hurling their poo at the screen.
The synopsis reads:
Indie veteran Gregg Araki returns to the spotlight with KABOOM, a hyper-stylized Twin Peaks for the Coachella Generation, featuring a gorgeous, super-hot young cast. The film is a wild, sex-drenched, comical thriller that tells the story of Smith, an ambisexual 18-year-old college freshman who stumbles upon a monstrous conspiracy in a seemingly idyllic Southern California seaside town.
Ugh.
The film, however, does have one thing going for it: Juno Temple goes topless … a lot. The pretty 21-year-old Brit plays a party-girl named London who gets caught up in the film’s mystery and yada yada yada naked boobs!
Temple doesn’t hold any previous horror/sci-fi creds, but is slated to star opposite Riley Keough (Lisa Marie Presley’s daughter) in director Bradley Rust Gray’s long-delayed teen-lesbian/werewolf mash-up Jack & Diane.
