Platinum Dunes Producers Talk the Future

What's up with Friday the 13th, The Birds remake and more?

By: Brad Brevet
Published: Sunday, January 7th 2007 at 10:06 PM

Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes producing partners Brad Fuller and Andrew Form spoke at a recent press conference in L.A. as they were promoting the upcoming release The Hitcher and were asked questions regarding several films that have been attached to the production studio and they weren't shy about answering them.

First off came word on the remake of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, which has been rumored to have caught the attention of star Naomi Watts. When asked about the rumor Fuller responded, "No actor or actress is going to commit to everything with a script. We've sat down with her and conceptually, I think, we all want to make the same movie, but until we have a script and a director, I think it's a little premature. But, we'll all talk and she's who we'd like to have as the lead."

The Birds sounds like it is moving forward quicker than some may think though as Fuller added, "In the next two weeks, or the next week or so I think they'll announce it because they're starting to talk about a new writer to come on and write that. It definitely feels like it's moving."

I am sure many of you also know that the duo are behind the news surrounding the new Untitled Friday the 13th Origin Film, and that is not a rumor. Form quickly spoke up saying that they were "working on a script right now. And I think that next year, it's not in the first two quarters for us, that movie, maybe at the end of next year. But right now we are still working on the screenplay."

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning director Jonathan Liebesman has been attached to the project as director since it was announced and Fuller reiterated that after saying no director has officially signed, "Jonathan Liebesman is attached to the movie right now, the director of Chainsaw. He's got a lot of things rolling around right now. So, if he's available when we have a script, we'd love to work with him again. We had a great experience with him."

As for original projects the studio has a few in the works. The first being a thriller called Horsemen. "We start production in a few weeks on a movie called Horsemen." said Fuller. When asked what the movie was about they didn't give a plotline but Form added that the movie is "in the vein of Se7en with Dennis Quaid and Ziyi Zhang." However, the storyline was revealed a while back saying that the picture centers on a bitter detective, played by Quaid, who finds out a shocking connection between himself and the suspects in a serial killing spree linked to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Jonas Akerlund is set to direct.

Next up on the original slate is a film for Rogue Pictures called Alone and then, of course, another remake at Rogue called Near Dark, which is based on the 1987 horror-western about a young man reluctantly joins a travelling "family" of evil vampires, when the girl he'd tried to seduce is part of that group.

You can catch The Hitcher in theaters on January 19 and check out new stills from the film here and four clips here.