Cool News
Roger Avary on DAWN OF THE DEAD remake'
Hey folks, Harry here... Had a long conversation with Roger Avary a couple of days ago about this whole DAWN OF THE DEAD nonsense. This is what happened...
There are very few things on this planet known as Earth that Roger Avary loves more than DAWN OF THE DEAD. He's a gigantic fan... Huge fan, beating pulsing heart in love fan of the original film. He has the board game... been interviewed and been a part of tribute films about the movie. He's seen the film so many times that he can't count them. He's been terrified of this remake from the beginning of the first rumors. When he heard James Gunn had finished his script, the morbidity of his soul... the unquenched question of whether or not it was worthwhile or not was driving him crazy. So he told his agent that he wanted the script because he was interested in directing.
Now... at that time, he wasn't really interested in directing, he just wanted to see the script... to see how good or bad the project was. When he got the script... he devoured it. Tore into the cover and read it through. When all was done, when the final page was turned, Roger Avary went 'Ang Lee' mad. I mean, just green pulsating anger and furor. Basically the thought... "ROGER SMASH" was going through his head. But Roger doesn't tear projects apart, he is a creator... he writes scripts, directs movies... He didn't know what to do, but he hated what he had read so much that he couldn't even think straight. He went to bed, woke up with an epiphany at 4 A.M. as to how a DAWN OF THE DEAD remake should be done... I won't tell that here, but his idea was to tell a different story that was taking place at the same time in the same universe as the original that didn't work to destroy or replace what Romero had done, but to add texture to the story we all know.
For the next several hours he waited till his agent would get to the office... Sketching out ideas... putting it together... Suddenly - he knew his agent was 'in office' and he placed the call... "GET ME A MEETING AT STRIKE ENTERTAINMENT I WANT TO DO DAWN OF THE DEAD!" Sure enough he got his meeting... Sat down in the exec's office - told them how bad the script was, what an affront to god, mankind and general grade school writing quality. Then went to tell him his idea - going into how it would be completely complimentary to Romero's original vision... Then the exec told him that Romero has never made a particularly good movie... Roger then tore the exec's asshole out with a plastic spoon while telling him exactly why Romero is a genius.... Then the exec quantified his idiotic statement to mean he's never made a money making film for a studio... Roger then told him about CREEPSHOW - but apparently Roger was met with something close to Deer in Headlights expression.
The executive told Roger that he liked James Gunn's script and that they wanted to make it. That they want a director that can give it that MUMMY-esque quality, since UNIVERSAL is the distributor on this future load of shit. Roger left the meeting knowing that he probably didn't get the gig, he got the call from his agent telling him that they thought he was quite bright and passionate, but that Roger scared them. GOD FORBID a director wanting to do the DAWN OF THE DEAD remake could SCARE the executives in question. Anyways... look for Roger's own writing of the even soon at AVARY.COM!
Meanwhile... If you have James Gunn's script for DAWN OF THE DEAD - my P.O. Box is P.O. BOX 180011 - Austin, Tx 78718-0011. I must read this ASAP!!! While there is still a chance to do something before we have another SCOOBY DOO on our hands....
-
+ Expand All
-
Sep 16, 2002 5:41:48 AM CDT
It's not your job to stop "another Scooby Doo" from happenin
by eugene o
Scooby Doo got the cinema treatment that the property deserved. Wake up (or maybe grow up)!
-
I usually stay away from these things because they're either a waste of time, or I'll just get pissed off and avoid the subject like the plague, but this is "Dawn of the Dead," god-damnit, and I can't stand by and watch what promises to be the first (of many, especially involving Universal) major clusterfuck of the 21st. Century in regard to remaking films that don't need to be touched. Kill! Write! Whatever you'd recommend, Headgeek, we're on it.... // e.
-
Why the hell do Hollywood idiots even THINK about remaking a timeless, prefect masterpieve like Dawn of the Dead? Why don't they just come up with some original, boundary pushing and transgressive Horror movies like 'Dawn of the Dead' for now, rather than feed us the insulting, cynical and impotent sub-slasher garbage they've churned out for the last 15 years.
-
Surely it's made it's money back again and again. It was f**kin' massive over here in England when I was a kid. Definately THE most popular video in the library when it opened in my home town in 1981(next to Zombie Flesh Eaters/Suspiria/Nightmares in a Damaged Brain). I should know - I worked there from being twelve years old when it opened.
Hollywood - what an awful f**kin' place? I live in Sheffield, England and, in 1996, studied at California State Uni for three months. I will NEVER go back to that shithole again. How execs can walk alongside the poor there, without shame, is beyond me. One day there will be riots bigger than the ones previously seen in L.A. In fact, it wouldn't surpise me if you had a revolution in CA. -
Please God, No. This is a classic film not some piece of crap to be messed with by making it like the comedy/shitflick The Mummy.
-
I don't know, I wouldn't mind seeing a classic action adventure meets Dawn of the Dead. It isn't like this movie is going to erase the "classic". It will still exist.
-
Oh, wolfie.
-
It's nice to know someone cares there. Heh, a suit saying Romero never made a good film (I can see where he's coming from, but I love Romero's stuff, y'know?).
-
We all agree that this remake won't erase the original, but that's beside the point. What all of us are afraid of is the general public thinking that this inevitable piece of crap is the Dawn of The Dead that we always speak of rather than the original Romero classic. My level of disgust is already rising at the mere thought of explaining why I love "Dawn Of The Dead" to be met with the response of, "Yeah, I saw that last week, but I thought Swimfan was better."
-
Sep 16, 2002 9:23:25 AM CDT
now granted I once made the same comment about Romero when compa
by sundown
But just the same I can't make sense of an exec that points out that his movies aren't blockbusters but WANTS to remake one and make IT a blockbuster... Then why the hell remake it??? This guy thinks he can 'do it better' most likely but has it occured to him the reason it has a following is because the original has merit? Romeros films aren't blockbusters but they weren't meant to be...that also doesn't mean that a new Romeroesque film COULDN'T make money...people are more opt to grab on to small culty films and make them hits now than in the past due to the internet and guys like Harry (Big Fat stupid Greek Wedding...Blair Witch) so it appears this is a remake with the worst intentions behind it... I'm the first one to point out that Romeros films were clumsy and didn't make money but if you are remaking his original idea for the love of God it is your duty to look into why some people love those films and try to capture that not water it down for popular consumption to 'craft a hit' because that HAS NEVER WORKED...look at the difference between Wild Wild West (hand crafted piece of crap remake) and the Mummy which while comical encapsulated what people loved about the Mummy or did everything you could with a Mummy film...hell I love that Sommers kept in the Mummy romance...his remake had RESPECT behind it...if they want to do it in the same way then put the same respect behind it don't make it like the Wild Wild West...
-
Correct me if I'm wrong, but if "Dawn" didnt make a profit, why would a studio want to remake it? why would it do any better now? it seems to me that Averys vision is the only way to make A.a profit and B.a movie that isn't total sacrilige. but i guess that makes a little to much sense.
-
Dawn Of The Dead - The Bikers' Tale.
-
just write new stories!
-
But if someone could just make really crappy remake of Day as well it would make a nice trilogy with Notld 30th ann.ed. and this. Ahem.
SOMEBODY GIVE ROMERO SOME MONEY TO MAKE A P R O P E R ZOMBIE FILM ALREADY!
Oh, and the animation's great, Harry. -
My friend was shopping his werewolf script in Hollywood and one company involved in the Mummy movies (shudder) passed because it wasn't toungue in cheek enough. There ya go. They love to camp it up. Witness the Batman movies (yeah even the first one. look at Nicholson's performance). When will they realize, the audience wants them to take it seriously. That's why people liked the Matrix and the first Superman movie and Blade and Blair Witch and I could go on and on. I want to at least give Avary a big cheer for trying to use his power in a way any one of us would have. I'm sorry it fell on deaf ears.
-
what were u expecting on scooby doo? the godfather? citizen kane?
GET OVER IT
-
If this actually gets made, it won't make any money. Universal will just have a piece of shit rip-off of the mummy on their hands, and we will all have a "ball-jiggling" laugh at their exspense. Besides, Tom savani claimed at the horrorfind convention in maryland back in august that Romero's script for Dead Reckoning was picked up by 20th century fox. Just go see that one instead.
-
It's been said before and will be said again. Is Hollywood so far gone that they cannot create NEW and DIFFERENT cinema? Why are we having to hear these horrible stories of remakes that should never be remade. I thought it was a joke when I first heard that Psycho was being not only remade but remade shot for shot! Why oh why do we have to put up with this crap from Hollywood? Dawn of the Dead was a masterpiece (especially when compared to dren that comes out these days). Just because there IS the MONEY to make movies does that mean they have to be remade? Hell no! UGH! I'm getting riled just writing! Is there any way we can stop the corporate machine from killing off our great titles? I wonder when Star Wars will be remade or Blade Runner, etc.! Every once in a blue moon we get a nice creative movie out of the fold like The Sixth Sense or The Matrix but for every excellent movie there are about a hundred pieces of crap! Stop Hollywood, Stop treating us, the viewer, this way!
Knight42 -
...for a studio," is what the man typed, which rules out _dotd_, unless you call laurel productions a studio and you wouldn't, would you, because you'd be wrong...and, of course, "Roger then told him about CREEPSHOW - but apparently..."...apparently the suit was a moron. >gasp!< could it be?...if you knows me at all from these lists, you knows i lie in wait for any mention of the neglected american indie director, george andrew romero (to the suit's credit, i will allow that g.a.r. has well & truly contributed to his own neglect by not making a great -- or profitable -- film within a suit's memory), like i was a zombie hanging around the mannekins at j.c. penney for a hapless swat member to come running by, and you knows where i stands on the issue. but i am amused by people telling harold what his job is (and to grow up!!! as if anyone who's a first-poster on this site has any credibility whatsoever in the way of maturity...) and to not sweat remakes of any films that are not _citizen kane_ or _the godfather_...uh, guess it's nice to have standards. since _scooby-doo-doo_ is one of the hits of the summer, rest assured a witless, tongue-in-and-ripped-out-of-cheek remake is coming to a theater near you, despite, your, my, harry's and roger avary's best efforts otherwise. welcome to the new normal: profits milked from the worst ideas, poorly executed. it's not as though hollywood has a lock on this trend, either: heard about the war on iraq? "when the dead walk the earth, we must stop the killing"...good luck! right, george?
-
Why, instead of filmakers with vision are we treated to Amyl-Nitrate addicts and coprophiliacs who make films that are on a level below 1950s educational films about tampon insertion? Can someone explain to me why James Gunn, perhaps the most purile mind ever to crawl out of Hollywood, is even being allowed near a movie set? Or a typewriter? He should be mopping the floors at a peepshow outside of Bungscent, Ohio not BILKING kids out of their money. And as for that empty-suited exec, well, too many champagne enemas DOES dull the senses, doesn't it?
-
The only thing that makes me cringe more thaa a DOTD remake is a Jaws remake. What the fuck? Nobody will give Romero th emoney to make a film, but thhey'll give some shitmeister free range to make a remake. GRanted, Romero may not be a genius--Three classics, a few good films and a few uneven ones, but they guy has more talent in his pinky than most of the hacks today. Plus, he gave the great Ed Harris his first starring role in Knightriders.
-
I'd have my attorney's all over Avary's finished script and be ready to litigate if I saw similar punctuation.
BTW...Nice animation Harry. -
But the gun wasn't double-barrelled. Damn this Hollywood revisionism!
-
Just cos the original didn't make much money, doesn't mean that it shouldn't be remade. There are plenty of duff films that have been remade - and some with success. It's about the idea - Not about "Hey maybe it'll make as much money today, as the original did in the 1930's!"
-
Who gives a shit if they remake Dawn? I mean REALLY?
Maybe it'll suck, maybe - just maybe - it won't, but, at the end of the day, you still have the original, right?
I love movies - ALL types of movies, Dawn included - so long as they are GOOD. From flicks based on bubble-gum trading cards to novel adaptations. From remakes to re-imaginings. From sequels to prequels. From the greatest, most original idea in the world to the oldest tricks in the book, I just don't care... SO LONG AS IT'S GOOD!
And besides, it's not as if there's ONLY remakes being made out there, fer chrissakes!
Heck, my fave flick of all time is Evil Dead II. Now if someone wanted to remake it, yeah, I'd be a little defensive, probably pooh-pooh it, but good luck to 'em! I'll wait until I see the finished product before I slag it. And why? Because if it turned out to be a load of ol' horseshit (and it probably would)it wouldn't detract from the original one little bit. Does Van Sant's Psycho diminish the classic original? Not in a million years, my friends.
Look, the far more iconic Superman is being remade/updated/re-imagined soon by Bret Ratner and I'm sure a load of you are pissed about that, too. I might very well love the 70's original and the superior first sequel, but I'm still interested to see what can be made of it now. I'm not upset. I'm not crying rape. I'm INTERESTED. For better or worse.
What about T3? I know it's not a remake but I'm still moved to see what another director can make of James Cameron's universe - even if it is out of morbid curiosity or just to see him fall flat on his face.
And, finally, without all of these left-field movie choices perpetrated by the Evil Studios, what WOULD you guys have to get soooo worked up about??
Admit it - it makes life a little more exciting, don't it?... -
*golf clap* I couldn't of said it better myself
-
It's sad that hollywood has no fresh ideas for movies and they have to resort to remaking a classic one. Hollywood should be nuked anyway, it's a fucking shithole. I hope this movie bombs.
-
Here's an idea I was thinking of for this new version of Dawn of the Dead. They should have Tom Savini ride down a shopping mall escalator on a motorcycle, shooting zombies with a shotgun all the way down.
-
Roger Avary gets fifty billion pounds of respect for trying to do that.. Man, if i was in that scenario, there's no telling what i'd do when those shit-eating executives tried telling me that garbage about choosing an extremely inferior script and messing with a classic. Let's just say hell would have been raised in that office. ---- I feel like the problem with this is that upon hearing about the remake, all of us dotd fanatics have been having high hopes.. while also being wary and conscious of it.. I maen, who wouldn't love to see a kick-ass remake?!? It could have been a hugely awesome movie experience to see my favorite movie of all time remade with justice and respect. It's a gigantic disappointment that they are disrespecting the movie and its fans like this. Its' bull shit. I just wish they'd rename it, and put it straight-to-video so that nobody else will ever hear about "dawn of the dead" adn get the mental image of THIS movie, in the future. Maybe nobody will hear about it that way.
-
The zombies, it seems, have already taken over. Big suprise. The ignorance of these execs is more horrifying than anything in Dawn of the Dead. George Romero's Night of the Living Dead was one of the most profitable independent films of its time. Romero hasn't made money for a studio because they keep stepping on his toes. My respect for Roger Avary has grown exponentially. So much, in fact, that I might even see Rules of Attraction to support him. Uhhh, maybe not.
-
How many remakes have we lived through already? Remaking The Haunting was as much of an affront to decency as remaking DOTD, and what do we say about that one to our friends? We say, "forget that new piece of crap, go watch the original if you want to be scared shitless." The remake of NOTLD wasn't so horrible, in fact, it was kind of fun and gave the characters a little more depth. What are you going to see in the DOTD remake? You'll see the "Resident Evil" version of the film. It will be tamed down gore-wise to get an R rating, the actors will be MTV hotties and hunks instead of normal people, and it will ultimately leave the ending open for a few sequels, just in case it makes money. As a film fan, I'm tired of films that leave open endings in service of future profits. Sometimes an ambiguous ending is necessary, but if Fran and Peter don't fly off with "not much" fuel and no good weapons, and that ending isn't the downbeat one we had in the first incarnation, I wish penis cancer on anyone who had a hand in making the remake.
-
Is this the same Roger Avary that made the Wil Wheaton movie Mr. Stitch? If so, you all must be kidding me.Looking on IMDB I don't see a career that jumps out at ya as a remarkable one. (out side of Pulp Fiction) Could someone tell me why we are following this guy like he is some piper? If this isn't the same, never mind :)
-
To be honest, I think it would be cool to have a Dawn remake, just for the improved zombies and FX (I can't stand people who say how good the zombies looked, when 75% of them were half assed blue-paint zombies.) As long as the general story remains unchanged and perhaps maybe a more hopeful ending than "Not much gas left..", then I say let this film be remade.
-
zerogundamx: That was the happy ending. In the original ending Peter shoots himself and Fran kills herself with the helicopter propeller. And either one of those are good. I would not want everyone to survive and go skipping off into the sunset. Dawn was never supposed to be a feel-good movie, and if that is what they remake it into, I'll be pissed. Demon Disco: While I agree that a bad remake will not detract from the original masterpiece, it would hurt it in other ways. How many people would see the original if the only Dawn they're familiar with is a rancid piece of shit with WB actors, shitty CGI, and a MTV soundtrack that Hollywood vomitted out just to make money. God, I hate Hollywood execs. These are probably the same ones who gave Romero only 3 of the $7 million he asked for for Day. Then Romero had to cut back from the Zombie epic he pictured to a shallow flick that didnt make that much money. Big Fuckin Surprise. Still, Day is better than 90% of the horror movies made in the last decade. Fuck Hollywood, fuck them up their stupid asses. So Saith The Uncle
-
Go out to your local videostore and rent "Killing Zoe", it is a kick ass movie written and directed by Roger Avary. It is up to par with "Resevoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction" (in my humble opinion). It has great character development, great dialogue, great pacing, great violence, and great, great, etc., and if he put a third of the talent into a DOTD remake as in this movie, it would have to be GREAT.
As far as him directing a Wil Wheaton movie, I seriously doubt it, but I could be wrong. -
is freakin' brilliant! I'd support this remake, definitely. As for one with a mummy feel to it....that just makes me wanna vomit....That really sucks this was rejected, speaking as a Dawn of the Dead fanatic.
-
Sep 16, 2002 8:08:51 PM CDT
Harry were too late.. not even the combined power off all the in
by thematarife
Even if everyone from AICN, CHUD, Coming Attractions, Dark Horizons, everyone on the net, hell even throw in Ebert and Roeper, we couldn't fix this. Universal frankly doesn't give a shit period. This remake mania has raped a few good films and other things, and it will continue to fk up other classics. Just wait, theyll remake blade runner with freddie prince jr in the lead as a romantic comedy.
-
......Fuck with the greatest horror movie of all time! I am a HUGE Dawn fan, having first discovering it when I was in 9th grade, and learning to appreciate it more as time went on. I have studied, dissected, and broke this film down. Watched it too many times to count. Can recite the film from begining to end. Collect it's hard to find memorabilia. I have drawn a simple conclusion of this film-it is the most brilliant, cynical, well-thought out, and damn right scary movie of all time. What makes it so scary is the fact that we believe it is happening as we watch it, because there are no marque names inhabiting this world, just no-name everyday joes that you and I know. The fact that the zombies are hardly shown builds up that sense of fear, and we know, like the characters, that we can't escape it, but deal with it. That being said, DOTD shouldn't be fucked with and just left alone as the classic it has become. I can remember the days when Dawn was not regarded as a classic, but a pale comparisson to the original, And now, when it finally has its own two feet to stand on, people take notice and decide it's time to "upgrade" it to a new generation? WHAT THE FUCK FOR? JAMES GUNN? Fuck him, fuck him up his stupid ass! He sucks dick, and so did Scooby. He took a beloved children's cartoon and fucked it up, and now he's going to take a beloved horror film and do the same. If they want to remake this film, then they should have a scene where Gunn, the executives that greenlit this, and Richard Rubenstein being tore apart by the living dead. "CHOKE ON ME!" "CHOKE ON ME!" Darth Toadie has spoken......
-
Hmm. Probably start off with an exterior of the mall. Cut to an interior shot. A man is running for him life. He then suddenly trips and falls. Another guy reaches down to help him up. They kiss. Cue the gay sex. How's that? Does that sound like Roger's type of writing?
All I know is that James Gunn's book "The Toy Collector" was terrific. I get sick of hearing people use Scooby Doo as an attack on his writing. Enough already! It's a flick about a talking dog that solves mysteries! Get over it. -
I was already aware of the alternate ending, and IMO I would have liked the suicide endings better. At least we know what happens to them, instead of "We're out of gas.."
I wasn't looking for a happy ending, just a better one. -
That idea rocks. Just think, place it in a mall again. Imagine the product placement! Instead of all that cliched blood and gore, have an intelligent zombie leader who sends his minions into the mall. Not looking for human brains, but instead a secret jewel locked in a display case as Zales that will give him eternal undead life. The zombie still essentially being people will prove to be morally wrong to dismember, so instead the heros will punch them unconscious and hogtie them until a cure can be found. The female lead will be turned into a zombie at one point to add extra importance to finding the "cure" for a happy ending. Add a wacky tag along kid that gets in scrapes and danger, but saves the day at the end in a triumphant battle in the Food Court. Damn, this movie practically writes itself.
-
and yes, I noticed I made a stupid typo.
By the way... just because I was poking fun doesn't mean I don't like Roger's work. Because I do. I loved Killing Zoe, Pulp Fiction, and I'm anticipating ROA. However, why should I give a shit if Roger likes the DOTD script or not? Huh, Harry? The name dropping that goes on here gets a little old. Thank God Moriarty (sp?) is still contributing to this site... otherwise I'd have very little worth reading.
-
Whoops, I did say hopeful ending.. Well I'm correcting myself, a BETTER ending. Hell ja to ze food court battle!
-
All this bitching about Hollywood making remakes is gettin really tiresome. I am no fan of hollywood doing remakes, especially if it sux. In which case, I do something really unusual. I dont bitch, complain or tear down. I *waits for dramatic tension* DONT GO SEE THE MOVIE *gasps!!*. And the reason why studio's dont take chances on new and unique ideas like they used is quite simple. Movies during the second golden age(re: the 70's)didnt cost 50+ million dollars to make. Taking a chance on an idea doesnt cost a studio a mere couple mill, they're now lookin at losing upwards 100 Mil in some cases. You movie geeks really need to get yer heads out from under yer comic books and look at the real world.
-
Make reference to Phantasm or Buckaroo if you want, but get the two greatest jackass' ever together. Sam Raimi could produce.
-
And Avery's input into Pulp Fiction was minimal. Now this guy spouts a few obvious platitudes to this site and we all love him messing with DOTD? Nope.
-
Because when we blow their heads off, our monacles fall out. Nasty bit of business, that. We do, however, make movies that are like "Black Hawk Down" with werewolves. Perhaps you've read of it? Seen it on your SciFi Channel, what? Then paid to see it in a theatre. Bang out of order!
-
...the person that will UNDESERVEDLY get the blame when the remake craps out will be George Romero. You think Gunn, Anderson or the producers will admit they blew it? No, it's because Romero never made a profitable movie (their words) and that is why their wonderful remake bomb. Poor George, he'll have nothing to do with making the remake and it will probably end his career.
-
Think about it, if a studio remakes Dawn of the Dead and it's successful financially, then it may open some doors for Romero to finally get this long awaited fourth Dead film off the ground. Although some talkbacker claims that Fox already picked up Dead Reckoning. Just because they optioned it or purchased it doesn't mean they'll actually PRODUCE it. I seriously hope it succeeds so that Romero can receive the financing he needs to make a real zombie film. I'm just as skeptical as everyone else about the artistic merits of a Dawn of the Dead remake; it will probably be PG-13, have no gore, remove any and all social commentary, and allow each of the four heroes to survive their predicament. Furthermore, Romero is a genius at giving his zombie's character. Remember the hari-krishna zombie from Dawn? Or the zombie who takes the M-16 and later reappears at the end? Or perhaps the boy zombie dressed in a baseball uniform? He's able to make individual zombies memorable, unlike Paul Anderson's awful Resident Evil, which among many things, had boring zombies with no character.
-
Let's face it, somebody's going to do this remake, if not now, then later. I say give 'em enough rope and they'll hang themselves...they'll make an uninspired box office bomb which will be despised by critics and fans of the original alike, and the makers of the film will never work in Hollywood again, having blown it on such a "sure thing". That'll be a few less hacks out there, and we'll still have the real Dawn, not to mention a hilariously bad rip-off to make fun of, and write little geeky compare/contrast essays about. It's win-win!
-
JUST KIDDING! He SUCKS!! A "Dawn Of the Dead" remake....with the 'feel' of the "Mummy" flicks? NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
-
Here's a bit of trivia from a zombie fan (why else do you guys think I've had this name forever???)-- There was a neat little comic series called "Dawn Of The Dead: U.K." (I think that was the title) which was EXACTLY what was suggested: A story telling what happened in other parts of the world. Someone else's story... The Queen's, to be exact. The story told of the Royals, all locked in their castle watching the commoners being slaughtered and turned into ghouls. They had their royal guards protecting them, and they were almost oblivious to the fact that they were damn near the only people left alive in the U.K.... They were worried about their family politics and such! of course, Edward was a bit off his rocker and in this story Diana wasn't a stain in France, but a thorn in Charles' side. The whole story would be adapted well, but it would certainly offend the Brits a tad... I mean, who would think to portray the Royals in a bad light? The horror! THE HORROR! Personally, I'd love to see the DEADWORLD comic get a proper film treatment. THAT was zombie-horror in the Romero style!
-
Got my names mixed up. It was actually called "Night of the Living Dead: London"... Still pretty good, though.
-
So if the guy doesn't like Romero's work and claims he never made any money for the studio, why bother with the remake? Because they can use a familiar name (so it must have made some kind of money if it is that recognizable) to bring in audiences. That's it. This is not a remake but a marketing ploy. But really, if you are planning on making a Mummy rip-off, why not be true to yourself and just rip it off instead of sullying the memory of movie fans with this bitch slap to the original DotD? Or, here's an idea: Get the guy from That 70's Show (you know - the one that no one will remember in 10 years - oh wait, that's all of them), team him up with a Vin Diesel style action hero, some surfin' chick, music by Hoobastank or someone, crappy Mummy stlye CGI, and call it "Dude, we're Dead!"
-
Sep 18, 2002 8:46:36 AM CDT
If they actually got Stephen Sommers, it might not be a train wr
by douglasah
If they get someone who can be "like Stephen Sommers," this will be an even bigger turd off the page.
-
I'm not so hot on the idea of the remake in general, but if they absolutely HAVE to do it, they should give the project to Avary...
I don't really have anything against James Gunn. Hell, I had an open mind about it until I read how Avary reacted...whatever he saw on the page that drove him mad must not reach the local cineplex...It must be stopped.
Actually maybe not. If this film gets made and it IS a piece of shit, the original will be that much more appreciated. People out of curiosity or word of mouth will seek out the original and it will gain a new following.
All I'm saying is that it's not neccesarilly the end of the world if this film gets made. At best, we have an interesting alternate take on an old favorite...at worst something that makes us cherish the original a whole lot more and introduces it to alot of people who otherwise might not have seen it.
hey..anybody know when that anchor bay dvd is coming out? -
The idea of remaking just about any classic film such as DOTD is fuckin' retarded (see Gus van Sant's PSYCHO). With a few notable exceptions (Cronenberg's THE FLY; Scorsese's CAPE FEAR), remakes have always sucked. But, if they absolutely must do DOTD, it sounds to me like Avary's got the right idea about how it should be done: instead of a bland, frame-by-frame remake like van Sant's PSYCHO, it should be a completely new and innovative take on a classic story like THE FLY and CAPE FEAR. By the way, has anyone heard about Romero's newest contribution to his own trilogy?
-
If they are going to make a piece of crap and want the "Mummy" feel, why don't they just ape the title of an old black and white movie? --- If Romero is bad for box office, why would they name the new non-Romero zombie film the same as one of his strongest works? P.S. R rated zombie films generally suck (the Return of the Living Dead films supplemented the action and munching with humor).
-
A turkey of a movie like this may not tank George Romero's career but it could tank the future market for anyone wanting to make another zombie movie (like George's Dusk Of The Dead).
-
Sep 18, 2002 6:47:09 PM CDT
Maybe it's been long enough that they could remake it
by electric tsunami
After all, "Red Dragon" is a remake of "Manhunter" (both adapted works). No new movies, just remakes of old ones. I guess that the studio feels that there weren't enough teenagers in Dawn Of The Dead.
-
Play against the type for once on this, Hollywood. Find something that was a piece of shit and turn it into something spectacular (or at least craptacular).
-
I suppose that there will be the inevitable zombie love scene in this movie (Dawn never had it though except for that woman in the apartment building). The Return... films and Wild Zero have addressed zombie love much better than this dreck ever could so why even bother.
-
Above all else, none of the zombies should be permitted to have any dialogue. They are brain dead, got that? Limited motor skills, a hunger for food, and a homing instinct for rampant consumerism.
-
Don't blame the crap that Hollywood throws at the screen on "real world" budgets. Jackie Chan's good films cost nowhere near that, Takeshi Miike's 6 movies a year don't cost that much. Even an indy film can be made for under $10million. Hollywood likes big budgets because there is more money to party with. The studio system can also write off losses on innocent "small" pictures. Front loading the opening weekend box office receipts glorifies egos, it doesn't make better movies.
-
Check out the anchor bay page (www.anchorbayentertainment.com) for news on new DOTD releases. They are going to release at least three packages next year, which I really hate, because the best one, an all encompassing multi-disc set with several versions of the film, will probably be released last, causing me to have to control my buying temptation every time I'm in the DVD section at Best Buy. I refuse to buy multiple copies of any film ever again. I've bought Army of Darkness three times, Dawn of the Dead twice, Memento twice, Night of the Living Dead twice, and Evil Dead II three times, and Evil Dead umpteen times. Anchor Bay wants your money. Muahahahahaaa!!!
-
There you go. Bill Pullman as the President fleeing from hordes of cannibal zombies with his secret service agents and tree-hugging scientist Jeff Goldblum, who develops a chemical based on worchestshire sauce to reverse the zombificationary process and has drunken pilot Randy Quaid spray it from his biplane to save the day. That's what scared Romero. Heck, don't even MAKE the movie, just keep spreading rumors that you're going to unearth other classic horror films from the hallowed ground in which they rest and make crappy remakes of them. You'll be more successful scaring people this way than if you made the biggest, most suspenseful blood-spattered gore-fest the world has ever seen. Oh, and SOMEBODY DO A QUALITY NIGHTBREED REMAKE!
-
dawn of the dead is a classic movie. but, what we really love is the universe romero created. three different adventures, night, dawn and day..and, coming up is dead reckoning. all seperate episodes in the zombie universe. this is why the 'books of the dead' series is classic. two novels full of short stories taking place in romero's universe.
a remake is just a waste of time. unless it's taking place in the same universe far and away from the monroeville mall. you might as well retitle it as something else. there is also the subject of logistics. the world ends in 1983, when day of the dead was taking place. so you have no technology after that. no society. no nothing. so..in keeping with the zombie universe, you have to make a new movie based in the 1980's. a remake..which we all know is coming, will be a rehash of dawn set in the 21st century. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. dead reckoning, which we all hope will get made, should be set in the 80's...90's or even now days, but with the feeling that nothing has expanded since the 80's when society collapsed. why would there be cell phones, etc. in a zombie movie based on romero's universe? if someone can pull off either a continuation of the universe, or another episode set during the same time frame, same events, we would all pay to see it. because it's an expansion on the already lovable zombie infested world. that's what makes the night of the living dead: UK storyline so fun. same time frame..different place. the royal family infighting as their world crumbles. nothing of note has been done since. so it's time to resurface one of the greatest concepts in movie history. zombies!! -
...doesn't mean that it works its way into a plot. No one in Scream bothered to use caller ID or even *69 to call back the killer.
Readers Talkback
User Login
Top Talkbacks
- Whitney Houston 1963 - 2012 -- 419 total posts 209 posts
- WTF HOLLYWOOD: SOLARBABIES -- 131 total posts 129 posts
- Herc’s Seen Tonight’s Return Of THE WALKING DEAD!! Discuss Also DOWNTON ABBEY, FEAR FACTOR, PAN AM, ONCE, SIMPSONS, DYNAMITE, LUCK, SHAMELESS, BAIT CAR, THE GRAMMYS And More!! Sunday Is Sweeps Day 11!! -- 123 total posts 122 posts
- New JUDGE DREDD post production footage pops up -- 124 total posts 58 posts
- There's a STAR TREK video game that is going to lead into JJ's STAR TREK 2 apparently... -- 191 total posts 47 posts
- Avid Comic Reader Hercules Does Battle With Tedium During Kevin Smith’s COMIC BOOK MEN! -- 43 total posts 43 posts
- If the Behind the Scenes Pics of the Day drops her pen, pick it up, but don’t look at her legs or else it will be on your record. -- 60 total posts 42 posts
- I am The Behind the Scenes Pics of the Day! No, I’m the Behind the Scenes Pic of the Day! -- 27 total posts 27 posts
- To Commemorate The 3D Release Of STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE, George Lucas Wants You To Know...Greedo Shoots First!! -- 506 total posts 26 posts
- HANNA's Saoirse Ronan to boss around seven little people -- 77 total posts 24 posts