Roger Corman fans are familiar with at least a few of them, movie memorabilia collectors have hung posters of them on their walls for decades, and some first saw them at double bill matinees on Saturdays or summer nights at the drive-in. If you have fond memories of watching the pulpy onscreen offerings of American International Pictures from the bucket seat of a Buick or the comfortable cushions of your own couch, then you might be pleased to know that ten of the company's titles have been acquired by Cinedigm and will be remade as individual films linked together by one massive story arc.
Girls in Prison, Viking Women and The Sea Serpent, The Brain Eaters, The She-Creature, Teenage Caveman, Reform School Girl, The Undead, War of the Colossal Beast, The Cool and The Crazy, and Day the World Ended will all be reimagined, with filming slated to start in September 2015.
Producer Jeff Katz (Snakes on a Plane) wrote the screenplays for the ten individual remakes and penned elements that will thread throughout all of the films. Each movie will stand on its own, but viewers who watch all ten films will experience an all-encompassing story. Keeping ties to the original films, Lou Arkoff, son of AIP founder Samuel Z. Arkoff, is also producing the 10-movie project.
The remakes will be R-rated and are planned to be shot in a row without any big interruptions once filming kicks off this fall. It looks like Cinedigm's plan is to distribute one film per month once they are completed, distributing them via limited theatrical releases, DVD, digital, TV, and on the upcoming CONtv streaming network.
Casting and directing announcements have not yet been made, but we'll keep Daily Dead readers updated as these films continue moving forward. In the meantime, here's the official press release with full details:
Press Release – "LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- In a move reflecting its commitment to provocative content production and innovative releasing patterns, Cinedigm (NASDAQ: CIDM) today announced a unique 10 picture project with producers Lou Arkoff (Inspector Gadget, George of the Jungle), Jeff Katz (Snakes on a Plane) and Hal Sadoff (Hotel Rwanda), to deliver a complete reinvention of some of the quirkiest and most memorable movies in the famed American International Pictures portfolio.
In a bold production move that acknowledges binge-watching and franchise acceptance, storylines and characters from all 10 films will be part of one grand story arc. The films will be shot contiguously starting in September 2015, with cast and directors to be announced soon. In addition to his producing credit, all ten films were written by Katz.
For years, poster art from such 1950s movies as Girls in Prison, Brain Eaters, and The Undead has been among the hottest collectibles in the film memorabilia market. Cinedigm will now bring updated versions of these pop favorites to modern audiences via limited theatrical release, DVD, digital, TV and non-theatrical formats. Of particular relevance, the films will be featured on CONtv, Cinedigm's highly anticipated digital network targeted to the Comic Con audience.
"In a unique twist on the current film-making model, all 10 films will shoot back-to-back and share a single movie universe with a big recurring cast of antiheroes, monsters and bad girls," says producer Lou Arkoff, son of AIP founder Samuel Arkoff. "This format will allow our casts and directors to build a strong relationship with the characters - and our audience - over the course of several films."
"There is no doubt that these titles have continuing allure," says Bill Sondheim, President of Cinedigm Entertainment Group. "These films are entertaining and fun and have resonated with audiences for over a half a century. With the changing nature of film consumption in mind, Cinedigm has come up with a completely unique distribution pattern for the films, providing one quirky and slightly naughty film each month for a new generation of fans. We love that Lou, Jeff and Hal have created a shared universe for these indelible characters to inhabit and we're looking forward to offering them to today's entertainment-hungry marketplace."
"It's been a very exciting opportunity to experiment with this hybrid format - binge-viewing at the feature film level - and it's something I think audiences are more than ready for," added Katz. "Each movie in this series has a complete beginning, middle and end, yet watched over all 10 films we're really telling one larger, epic story. These are very much, at heart, indie comic book movies. Unpretentious. R-Rated. It's fantastic to have a distribution model that fits that sensibility."
"The timing is perfect to re-invent these classic AIP titles," Sadoff said. "The independent film marketplace has never been stronger. Cinedigm is the perfect partner to take advantage of the traditional, as well as the new and exciting, distribution platforms for consumers to access content. We will be working with established and cutting edge talent to create films that are fun and commercial, while honoring the spirit of the classic AIP titles."
10-Picture Synopsis:
An eclectic and unlikely mix of urban legends, bad girls, ancient myths and modern anti-heroes will be forced to unite when clandestine forces from our world and beyond trigger a series of preternatural events that will threaten the very fabric of reality as we know it. The worlds of horror, science-fiction and action-adventure will collide, building to an explosive climax that brings everything and everyone together.
The titles:
1. Girls in Prison
2. Viking Women & The Sea Serpent
3. The Brain Eaters
4. She-Creature
5. Teenage Caveman
6. Reform School Girl
7. The Undead
8. War of the Colossal Beast
9. The Cool & The Crazy
10. Day the World EndedAbout Cinedigm
Cinedigm is a leading independent content distributor in the United States, with direct relationships with over 60,000 physical retail storefronts and digital platforms, including Wal-Mart, Target, iTunes, Netflix, and Amazon, as well as the national Video on Demand platform on cable television. The company's library of over 52,000 films and TV episodes encompasses award-winning documentaries from Docurama Films®, next-gen Indies from Flatiron Film Company®, acclaimed independent films and festival picks through partnerships with the Sundance Institute and Tribeca Films and a wide range of content from brand name suppliers, including National Geographic, Discovery, Scholastic, NFL, Shout Factory, Hallmark, Jim Henson and more.
Additionally, given Cinedigm's infrastructure, technology, content and distribution expertise, the company has rapidly become a leader in the quickly evolving over-the-top digital network business. Cinedigm's first channel, DOCURAMA, launched in May 2014, and is currently available on over 200 million consumer devices including ioS, Roku, Xbox and Samsung, with additional platforms currently being rolled out. Earlier this year, Cinedigm also announced plans for CONtv, a Comic Con branded channel, in partnership with WIZARD WORLD, for launch in Q1 2015. The Company also announced its third OTT channel via a partnership with The Dove Foundation. DOVE MOVIE CHANNEL will be a digital streaming subscription service targeted to families and kids seeking high quality and family friendly content approved by Dove.
Cinedigm™ and Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp™ are trademarks of Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp www.cinedigm.com.
[CIDM-G]
http://www.cinedigm.com/
http://twitter.com/cinedigm
http://facebook.com/cinedigm
http://youtube.com/cinedigm"
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
Daily Dead's Official Podcast! Daily Dead's Official Podcast!
