MOVIE NEWS FOR APRIL 28: 3D AND SCREENPLAYS, THE THING WRITER & HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON SEQUELS

Source: latimes

POPULARITY OF 3-D IS AFFECTING HOW SCREENPLAYS ARE WRITTEN

When Matt Pitts, a writer on “Fringe” and a former assistant to J.J. Abrams, recently began shopping his first film script to movie studios, he knew he had a marketable idea on his hands. The title of his screenplay, after all, was ” Spring Break Zombie Cruise” and its storyline followed, well, just that.

But the prospect of flesh-eating creatures stalking beautiful young bodies wasn’t his script’s main hook. The element to catch a studio mogul’s eye? A plan to shoot the project in 3-D. “In my mind it just added that extra ounce of fun,” Pitts says.

Whether it’s young writers trying to sell their first movie or established filmmakers trying to make their 10th, there’s no savvier move these days than packaging your project as a 3-D film.

Read more here

Source: heatvisionblog

‘THE THING’ WRITER BOARDS ‘FINAL DESTINATION’


Eric Heisserer, the scribe who penned Universal’s “The Thing” prequel, is writing “Final Destination 5,” the latest installment in New Line’s horror franchise.

The “Destination” movies, which center on the idea that one can’t cheat death, usually begin with a group of people who survive a catastrophe because of the intervention of one person who has a premonition. Death, however, will have its due, and the survivors end up expiring in elaborate Rube Goldberg-like fashion.

Read more here

Source: slashfilm

PARALLEL SEQUELS FOR HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON

The inevitable news of a How to Train Your Dragon sequel broke yesterday, courtesy of a Dreamworks conference call and press release. We learned that the film would be made for cinemas, released in 2013 and… actually, that was it. But what more information about this proposed follow-up is actually out there?

There’s a quote on the TAG Blog from an “old DWA hand” who appears to have some inside knowledge. According to them, directors Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois – the two major reasons for Dragon’s success, particularly seeing as this is a film that prospered on word of mouth – have each got a sequel idea in mind…

Read more here

First it was product placement that was changing the way screenplays are written, now 3-D takes it’s turn affecting them. How can creativity flow freely when so many guidelines and stipulations are set in place even before the process begins? How do you feel about 3-D affecting screenplays?

I got tired of Final Destination after Number 2.  The same exact premise over and over again. Do you think having The Thing writer on board will make a difference?

Would you see both How To Train Your Dragon sequels?