Exclusive Interview With Last Supper: The Russellville Hacksaw Murders Director Will Sanders

TMT had the opportunity to sit down with Indie Film director Will Sanders for  an exclusive interview. Will is directing the forthcoming Halloween spin off Last Supper: The Russellville Hacksaw Murders which will mark his directorial debut.

Will is producing the film through his own company JKSR Productions along with his fellow friend and contributor Ben Heckenkamp of Bear Trap Productions.

We were able to ask will about his Halloween spin off, what his thoughts are on the recent barrage of horror remakes, and what’s next for him after Last Supper.

Where do you plan to film Last Supper, and will it be on location or on set?

It is going to be on location in Fairhope, Alabama. A nice little town in the gulf where there is a lot of farm land and old Victorian style houses. We can get a nice Midwestern feel out of it.

Has casting begun, and will you be using mostly unknown actors?

We are currently casting. We have some great resumes and have held a few auditions for Charlie. Most of the cast will be unknown, but hopefully depending on the budget, we will have a cameo or two from the original Halloween. None definite yet but we are working on it.

I had the pleasure of meeting Loomis himself Malcolm McDowell a couple months ago at a comic con I was covering, very nice guy. Have you attempted to contact him for a possible cameo?

Malcolm is a really great guy. I have met him a few times, he hosted the 40th anniversary of Night of the Living Dead in Dallas, that I helped with. I love him but he is no Donald Pleasence. No, I am thinking more along the lines of the original. I had the pleasure of chatting with Charles Cyphers (Sheriff Brackett 78 and 81) at a convention not to long ago. He said that he would love to get in some indie films.

When is production set to begin, and what stage in the production are you currently at?

We start production the month of all months October 1^st. We are in pre-production for now, sorting things out, casting, scouting, etc.

Aside from yourself in the director’s chair and Ben Co-Producing with you has anyone else come on board yet?

Yes, Marcus Koch (100 Tears, Walking Distance, the upcoming Sinners and Saints) will be doing prop casting and helping with additional effects. He is the master of indie FX' from Autopsy FX Group. He was also hired to do a music video for an upcoming Saw box set. 

Being this is an Indie production and the cost of sets and film production is quite costly, what equipment will you be using such as film?

As much as we would love to film on 16mm or 35mm we are settling for digital. We are going to be shooting on a Panasonic HVX200. I was online and saw this, believe it or not, Friday the 13th fan film called Friday the 13th: The Storm. The film quality is amazing almost studio quality. It was done using HD Cameras similar to ours.

Will the majority of the special FX be done practically or through CGI in post production?

I am big on practical effects. Especially in a film like this, I truthfully feel CGI has no business in horror. I mean if you are shooting an action flick like Blade, yes, but just for limbs and slashing, no practical looks more real than CGI.

As for Last Supper being based on a few line of dialogue from the original Halloween, was this an idea you had for a long time or did it just dawn on you while watching the film one day?

I have been a fan of Halloween my entire film watching life, I think I have watched it more times than any other film. I write short stories and scripts in my spare time and have been toying with this story in private for some time. I finally let some friends and colleagues read it and they loved it and said you should film this. Another reason this story came about and why I am making this film is, I got a small interview from Quakezine a local magazine from Russellville, Ky. They have been working one a story, that has been a project for a while, about the real Charlie Bowles. The real Charlie Bowles was a theatre Manager in Russellville, back in the early days of horror master John Carpenter. He used to attend or (as rumour has it)  used to sneak into Bowles theatre with his girlfriend. John was from Bowling Green and would travel over to Russellville, where she lived, to take her on dates.

Will you include any Halloween references in the film, if your timeline allows for it?

Yes, but only if approved by Trancas Films. I have sent them the treatment and script and they are looking over it.

Trancas own the rights to franchise don’t they?

Yes, Trancas International films was started by the great Moustapha Akkad and is now ran by his son, Malek Akkad, which was one of the producers of the last two Halloween entries.

Is this being developed with a possible sequel in mind, or is it a stand-alone film?

This will be a stand-alone film. I don't want to give to much, but there is absolutely no way for a sequel. I don't plan to do a sequel.

Can you go into details about the potential Halloween references in Last Supper?

I would rather not at this time, but I will say that one of the references will be similar to how Bowles was referenced in Halloween.

With Last Supper, are you hoping for at least a limited release or are you planning for more of a Direct to Video release?

It all depends on distribution, I would love a limited release and we are definitely going to take it on the film festival circuit. But how it does there will determine, where it goes from there. I get kind of down when I hear indie directors shooting down ideas and screenings because of how much money they will or will not make. With Last Supper, we just want the story to be seen and told.

When do you hope to start showing it at film festivals, and where would you like it to be screened first?

Late spring or early summer of next year if everything goes as planned. If I had my choice I’d say Screamfest LA, but in a dream world why not Cannes.

What era or time frame is Last Supper set within?

You know, that is the one thing I like about Zombie's remake, he never says. Some fans say 1978 is where it starts, but the remake part is definitely present day. It has to be with cell phones and modern vehicles. So that almost have to put it  around 1992 for Judith's murder. We are doing a similar route, the date will be left up to the fans.

Based on the the time line in the original Halloween, and the story being technically a prequel as well as spin off, wouldn't the story need to be set closer to the 70's that very latest?

The film is definitely set in October and around Halloween. Have you been to the small towns of the mid-west and south? If not for modern phones and autos, even in real life you can't tell what date it is. It could be 2010 or 1963 who knows? Oh there’s a cell phone it must be 2010. That is my point, the only definite thing is that Bowles' night of carnage will coincide with Judith's murder. But as for a date, none of the Halloween films got a timeline right? They are all over the place in regards to time, but you can only do that if you have a good story.

So the film takes place all within one day or is there a back story for Charlie Bowles?

There is back story on Bowles and his family, but most of the major events take place on Halloween Evening, Night and then Nov 1st morning. The story all takes place in the month of October.

So would you say the majority of the film has to do with the murders or is there more leading up to it, with the murders as a conclusion to the story?

You will have to wait and see that when it debuts. I want to leave it vague what Charlie does not in the film until everyone sees it. But really, everyone knows though, it’s a horror movie.What else could happen?

Are Charlie’s motives explored at all or is it more like Michael Myers as in He just one day decides “F*** it your all going to die, now!”

F*** It! you are all going to Die! I couldn't put it better myself. Charlie Bowles is a testament to those who say there is always a motive, sometimes people just snap. Motives to me are just excuses. Sometimes in my opinion folks are just born for it, it's their destiny. But I am trying to make it enjoyable for even those who don't know about Halloween.

I know that Ben Heckenkamp recently formed Bear Trap Productions after a trip to Show West earlier this year. What exactly is their involvement in Last Supper?

Ben has been a great friend. Right now, he is helping produce the film, but he has a lot of the same goals as me and it may end up being more than that. I am just waiting for the say so to add them on officially. If all goes well with this project, and there is no reason it won’t, I would love to do another with Ben and his company.

When can we expect to see some promotional art work, pictures, teaser trailer etc for Last Supper?

The one-sheet teaser image will be coming soon. We expect a teaser trailer by the end of July and stills will not happen until October. We were going to try to do some shots of the garage location and the saw next week for the teaser.

How do you feel about the barrage of horror film remakes in recent years?

I have mixed feelings on them. On one hand I think that most of them are a cheap cash in on the originals and most are forgotten as soon as the credits finish. On the other hand I see first hand, kids going out to see these films that have never seen the originals and because of thse films new fans are created, so it's a double edge sword. Overall I have approved of most of them, I love the remake of Dawn of the Dead, TCM and "at least" the remake part of Zombie's Halloween, but not the back story prequel part of the film.

True, but there is an excessive amount of shortcuts used in horror today like CGI for example, do you agree?

Yes, I totally feel, it is a cheap and easy way out, but in some cases especially in slasher films it just looks plain goofy

What’s next for you after last supper? Are you hoping this opens up other opportunities or do you already have other projects in development?

Yes, I have two other scripts I am wanting to work with Hell Broke Loose, that is a Bank robbery film with a plague and then Brainwrap, which is a Hitchcockian murder mystery.

Are both of those projects original ideas, and did you write them yourself as well?

Yes, they were actually written before Last Supper as it stands now. Hell Broke Loose is a collaborated effort of my friend and editor Chris Neal and Brainwrap was written some time ago. Both scripts are all original, I'm not a one trick pony that takes lines of dialogue and turns them into scripts.

Can you tell me about the premise for either of those?

Hell Broke Loose is the tale of two older bank robbers and a reckless brother that is just along for the ride. They have planned the perfect robbery...The last score. It all goes just fine, until hell breaks loose. Brainwrap is a psychological thriller about a projectionist that seems to always have people turning up dead around him.

Hell broke loose sounds like more of a studio picture where as Brainwrap sounds more indie. Would you agree? Or are these both something you see as studio pictures?

I would agree. Hell Broke Loose is going to have to have a huge budget. It is like 28 days later meets The Inside Job.

Also be sure to visit the Facebook Page and Twitter for Last Supper and JKSR Productions

Coming 2011

Jeremy Renner to Join "The Avengers"?

Rumors swirled last year that The Hurt Locker's Jeremy Renner was being considered for the role of Hawkeye in the big-screen adaptation of The Avengers.  Those rumors were squashed by Renner himself, who at the time was considering a role in a big-screen adaptation of Battleship instead.  (yeah, the game)

Now Heat Vision is reporting that Renner is currently in "final negotiations" to play the Avengers superhero after all, although this information has not been confirmed by Marvel Studios.

Clint "Hawkeye" Barton is an expert archer and marksman who originally started out a misguided villian in the Marvel universe before ultimately joining up with Iron Man and Captain America as part of the Avengers lineup of superheroes...or, as Robert Downey Jr. referred to them in Iron Man 2, a "super-secret boy band."

According to the Heat Vision report, Renner is still interested in playing a role in Battleship (because doesn't every actor want to go right from an Oscar nomination to a movie based on a board game?).  But that film is currently mired in delays and financing issues, so he still may be able to do that once his Avengers work is completed, provided those issues have been resolved by then.

So if this works out, it looks like our big-screen Avengers team is coming together nicely.  I'm already loving the Captain America designs posted by Mitch yesterday.

The Avengers, directed by Joss Whedon, is scheduled to arrive in theaters on May 4, 2012. 

Chris Nolan talks Batman 3

 

In this months Empire Magazine they were lucky enough to sit down with Chris Nolan to talk Inception, Batman 3 and everything in between.

He of course gave his usual extremely coy non-answers regarding the fact that he is in fact directing Batman 3.

"There is a point where you're just being precious about it and people get annoyed, but the God's honest truth is I work on one movie at a time. I'm only capable of doing that, so my head will continue to be firmly in Inception for the next few months"

He did confirm a few things however:

"My brother Jonathon is working on the screenplay. We came up with a story that we are very excited about. We particularly like where we are taking the characters and what the ending is... There are things for me to be very excited about in addressing the characters again. But ultimately it always comes down to the script, and can we make a great film from this? That's something I will firmly be turning my attention to figuring out fairly soon."

When asked about the possibility of the Joker returning and being re-cast possibly pulling the strings from Arkham Nolan emphatically and unhesitatingly replies "no", and he resists elaborating simply because, quite understandably, he says, "I just don't feel comfortable talking about it."

I think at this point its obvious to say that Nolan's directing the third and final installment in his Batman trilogy. But what isn't certain is who will be cast and what villains will appear. We've heard everything from Catwoman to the Riddler and even the penguin (despite Nolan stating he has no plans to use the character) along with potential stars rumored for the role's. I doubt we'll here anything concrete until at least Comic Con this July.

Check back to TMT as we'll be covering this rigorously over the next two years.

Thor Concept Art

Yesterday concept art for the new Captain America was leaked, and it looked awesome.

Now comes concept art for Chris Hemsworth as Thor via Collider, but I have to say it doesn't look anywhere near as good as Captain America. I seriously hope this isn't the final look we get on film. El Guapo said it best He looks like a contestant on American Gladiators.

"Halloween" Spin off in the works...

Horror movies are known for the endless amount of sequels and remakes they tend to spawn, but how often does a spin off come out of a horror classic? Indie filmmaker Will Sanders has taken it upon himself to write and direct a spin off of sorts to the original John Carpenter's Halloween. He's taken a few lines of dialogue and turned them into a ninety-minute indie feature that to me sounds very awesome.

Every town has a story and the peaceful little midwestern town of Russellville, Illinois is no different. The story is about Charlie Bowles a respected theatre owner and loving father, who until one Halloween Night was respected by his fellow townsfolk. In one night his unthinkable acts changed and rattled a town forever.

Last Supper is based on a line of dialogue from John Carpenter’s “Halloween”. In the film Dr. Loomis goes to a cemetery in search of Judith Myers’ grave, the graveyard keeper tells Dr. Loomis a story about Charlie Bowles, while in search of the grave marker, but in the middle of his story he is interrupted by Loomis about Michael Myers and Carpenter’s story of Halloween continues from there. Line of dialogue for reference Every town has something like this happen. I remember a guy over in Russellville. Charlie Bowles. About fifteen year ago, he finished dinner, excused himself from the table, went out into the garage and got a hacksaw, then came back into the house, kissed his wife and two children goodbye, and then proceeded to… In this small scene it has left many fans including myself wondering what did Ol Charlie Bowles do?

Last Supper: The Russellville Hacksaw Murders is set to start production this fall. Working off a modest budget the production is expected to be finished before the end of the year, and plans are set to attend film festivals next year in hopes of acquiring distribution. I'd say if all goes well we could see this in theatres by late summer or early fall of next year.

Check back to TMT as we'll be covering this closely as more news becomes available.

For now you can head over to the official facebook page or follow JKSR Productions on Twitter.

Take a Hike, Superman!

It looks like the tradition of getting your picture taken with a guy in a dirty Spiderman costume during your vacation to Hollywood might be coming to an end.   KTLA is reporting that the famous costumed (and definitely unlicensed) characters along the Hollywood Walk of Fame have been told to get lost, although that has not yet been confirmed by the LAPD.  

These characters, who were the subject of the 2007 documentary Confessions of a Superhero, often include Batman, Superman, The Incredible Hulk, Wonder Woman, Zorro, as well as many other assorted action heroes and cartoon stars.  They can usually be found in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater, where they are available for photo ops, but since they obviously can't be paid for their work, they relied solely on tips.

Unfortunately this led to some characters getting aggressive with tourists who didn't tip. That led to complaints from tourists, and that led to the police enforcing a code regarding tips for service and operating without a business permit that got everyone booted off the street.

I've never been to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but I did once see a Dora the Explorer costume in Times Square that looked like Dora was seven days past watching that video from The Ring.  I don't know if the costumes in LA were as scary as that, but it would be a shame if it was just a few bad costumed characters that ruined it for everyone else. 

You can see the KTLA news report (including an interview with an upset Zorro) from an quiet Grauman's Chinese Theater entrance.  Although it looks like MacGruber is playing there, so that might explain the silence too:

Captain America's New Suit!

Just Last week JoBlo had the chance to see the new Captain America suit, but they were sworn to secrecy so they had to describe the look as opposed to posting the pictures.

Well now AICN has posted some artwork via an anonymous source, and JoBlo is confirming their legitimacy. Apparently the art work is exactly the same as what they were shown last week.

I have to say the new design looks pretty damn awesome. After some of the things we heard up until this I wasn't all that excited, but now I can honestly say I'm pumped to see Chris Evans in the red white and blue next summer!

Box Office Predictions June 4-6

This week expect Shrek to take the number one spot for the third weekend in a row. Also opening this weekend, but not doing much is Marmaduke aka Marley and Me 2: Owen Wilson plays the dog, Get him to the Greek, and Killers which most definitely will suck ( They chose not to screen it for critics).

1. Shrek Forever After (DreamWorks Animation/Paramount) - $24 million
 
2. Marmaduke (20th Century Fox) - $20 million

3. Get Him to the Greek (Universal) - $18.8 million

4. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Disney) - $15.0 million

5. Sex and the City 2 (New Line/WB) - $14.4 million

6. Killers (Lionsgate) - $14 million

7. Splice (Warner Bros.) - $10.2 million

8. Iron Man 2 (Marvel/Paramount) - $8.4 million

9. Robin Hood (Universal) - $5.7 million

10. Letters to Juliet (Summit) - $3.2 million

Check back this Sunday for the Box Office predictions from Jen, and again on Monday for the actual numbers.

Antoine Fuqua Directing 2pac Biopic

A biopic on Tupac Shakur is currently in the works and Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, Brooklyn’s Finest) has signed on to direct, according to digitalspy.

In an interview with the site Fuqua said production company Morgan Creek recently approved his role in the flick. “It looks like we’re doing Tupac Shakur’s movie next in September, that’s what I’ve been starting up and working on now,” he said

The former music video director said he’s interested in finding an unknown actor to play the iconic hip-hop legend. “That’s the goal, I want to discover someone new,” he revealed. “I want to discover a lot of new people if I can. Obviously I’m going to have to put some people in it that you know, just because actors have different skills. I want to go to the streets and find him anywhere he might be in the world.”

News of the film comes just two weeks before his birthday. On June 16, ’Pac would have turned 39-years-old.

This is something I've been waiting a long time to hear. As much as I enjoyed the Notorious BIG biopic Notorious in 2009, I felt that the portrayal of Tupac was done horribly wrong. Anthony Mackie was far from what my first choice would have been for the role.

Given Fuqua's track record I'd say he can be trusted to do the late Icon Tupac Shakur justice on film. No details on the screenplay have been revealed, but I'm not expecting this to take place near the end of his life and career for much of the film. My guess is this will be more of a rise to fame, and his real life behind the scenes biopic. As opposed to his sudden death at the young age of 25, and his controversial actions in his last days.

If shooting does in fact take place this fall we can likely expect to see a release by spring or summer of next year.

New Trailer 'Splice'

Warner Bros. Pictures has released this new internet trailer for Vincenzo Natali's Splice, hitting theaters this Friday, June 4th.

In the film, Clive (Adrien Brody) and Elsa (Sarah Polley) are superstars of the genetic engineering world. They specialize in splicing together DNA from different animals to create fantastical new hybrids. The charismatic couple wants to use human DNA in a new hybrid – something that could yield astronomical medical benefits. The pharmaceutical company that funds their research, however, is more interested in exploiting their earlier triumphs for easier, short-term profit.

Clive and Elsa secretly conduct their own experiment. The result is Dren (Delphine Chaneac): an amazing creature who exhibits an array of unexpected developments, both physical and intellectual. Dren exceeds their wildest dreams... and, ultimately, their most terrifying nightmare.

I have to say this is the most interesting trailer I've seen for this yet. If only they made every trailer more like this. The problem is I don't think Splice has much chance going up against Shrek in it's third weekend, and new openings Killers and Get him to The Greek.