Screen Junkies » thriller

Tom Petty’s Daughter To Direct ‘Saw’- Er, I Mean ‘Suffocate’

Dave Horwitz — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 18:00:47 +0000

Adria Petty, daughter of singer songwriter Tom Petty, is an up and coming filmmaker. She recently directed the documentary Paris, Not France, and is now set to direct Radar Pictures’ upcoming thriller Suffocate, penned by Ben Olson. In addition to the doc, Petty has previously directed numerous music videos for artists like Beyonce and Regina Spektor, and directed commercials for Target, Converse, and McDonald’s.

The synopsis of the film, which makes it sound a lot like an A&E reality show combined with the Saw series, is as follows:

“Suffocate is a thriller about a group of city workers who enter a hoarder’s condemned brownstone and find it loaded with deadly traps, and an unrelenting killer. The group is forced to use their wits–and demolition tools–to stay alive.”

Petty’s got a clear visual style, as is evidenced by her many music videos, so perhaps she can make this a memorable narrative debut. No word yet as to whether her dad’s hit “The Waiting” will be used in the soundtrack as the city workers are “waiting” to see whether they live or die. What? No good? “Freefalling?” That doesn’t work either. OOH! “Don’t Come Around Here No More?” Perfect. (Deadline)

SHOCKER: New De Palma Film Features Intrigue, Beautiful Women

Dave Horwitz — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 21:41:22 +0000

Brian De Palma, legendary director of Body Double, Scarface, and Carrie, has signed on to direct Passion, a remake of last year’s foreign film Crime d’amour. The film, about two women trying to take each other down in a workplace, sounds like classic De Palma territory to me. It’s been described as Dangerous Liasons meets Working Girl, but it also sounds like Black Swan meets Nine To Five, which would be hilarious.

De Palma, who’s been in a bit of a rut lately, could really jump start his already amazing career with this one. With the right casting and the right execution (and of course one of the actresses sprouting feathers and lesbian sex scenes and whatnot), this could be a really compelling thriller. Expect dutch angles and explosions. Also, women. (Variety)

Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ To Be a Movie Now Of Course

Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Michael Jackson has made more money dead than you or I will ever make alive, and now his estate will rake in a few additional loads of cheddar. GK Films is in negotiations to acquire a package for a film that will turn Jackson’s hit song Thriller into a big screen blockbuster smash hit bonanza. Kenny Ortega, who directed This Is It… (which was clearly a lie), will also direct Thriller. The Hangover writer Jeremy Garelick will take scripting duties.

Deadline reports that the plot is being kept under wraps, but "it has to do with the song’s folklore, involving Vincent Price and the town he grew up in." What? You take a song with an awesome video involving zombies and werewolves and you turn it into a Vincent Price biopic? Piece of advice, money men. Don’t blow a boatload of cash on a Michael Jackson project about Vincent Price. I’m sure the Price estate would give you his anecdotes in exchange for a nice Sunday sit down dinner.