Yesterday, Edward Norton released a winding mini-essay dismissing the bad buzz looming over The Incredible Hulk. Problem is, while his statement quasi neutralized the film’s rumored inner problems, it did nothing to convince fans and general moviegoers that his film was going to, quite simply, kick the ass of Ang Lee’s prior Hulk. In contrast, today producer Brad Fuller not only colorfully addressed the weak rumor(s) circulating on the Net that Platinum Dunes‘ Friday the 13th reboot would go oh-so-trendy PG-13, he practically threw up a devil’s fist and upped expectations for the nth Jason Voorhees installment due in 2009. This is a solid rendition of “Fanboooy, Please!” Take note, Hollywood. As told to Bloody Disgusting…
“None of our remakes have been PG-13,” says producer Brad Fuller. “How do you remake a rated R horror movie and take the guts out literally and figuratively? What is F13 without sex, drugs and a really, really long sharp machete? And why would we, horror fans ourselves, produce a movie devoid of the things that made the title so appealing in the first place. So let me say for the record, that the F13 that we start shooting this Thursday is a full bodied, rated R film.
“It has insane kills that will be shown in all their glory- it has a group of college students who drink and even have sex. We are betting that if we don’t hold back that the audience will reward us for being bold in a time when some horror movies are playing the ratings game. So we embrace the R-rating Friday the 13th will have…”
Sans the ’50s-conjuring “and even have sex!” portion, Fuller’s quotes are akin to him putting his dress shoes up on a huge desk, lighting a choice cigar and saying “We know exactly what you want to see.” I’ve said it before but F13 plays to all of Platinum Dunes’ and director Marcus Nispel’s populist strengths. Fuller clearly understands that the onset of ProActiv horror like Prom Night, while profitable, automatically if curiously positions the company’s contributions as the cooler horror alternative for…remakes.
When a recent R-rated horror flick like The Ruins, based on a bestselling horroriller novel, sinks to the bottom of the box office without a trace, this is prime time to stir up the anticipation while stating your film’s and company’s relevance, and it’s good news, if unsurprising, to boot. When it comes to genre fare, give ‘em what they want so you can legitimately tell ‘em what they want to hear, and the earlier the better.
April 17th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
“And why would we, horror fans ourselves, produce a movie devoid of the things that made the title so appealing in the first place.”
>>>>
Because you did it just over a year ago with 2007’s The Hitcher.
*though it, at least, didn’t pass on the gore.
April 17th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
@ Anonymous
The PD remake of Eric Red’s The Hitcher wasn’t up to snuff, I agree. In the future, I’d like to see Platinum Dunes make original “cool kill” horror flicks similar to Friday the 13th while avoiding remakes of classics like The Birds and Rosemary’s Baby.
April 17th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
An R rating still doesn’t save a movie from sucking. Look at Hitman. Whiney fanboy: “Give us an R! I want an R”. Well, it didn’t help did it?
April 17th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Well, if all the previous Platinum Dunes efforts weren’t indication enough, the evidence that this movie will be just godawful is that the producer is referring to it as “F13.”
April 17th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
sex i see. Good.
April 17th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
This movie is gonna suck ass compared to the real FIRST one just by the way he’s talking!!!!
April 17th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
uhhh, has ANYONE - including platinum dunes - imdb’d marcus nispel’s past projects?!?!?! (btw, hunter, what populist strenghts are you talking about?) this reboot seems like it’s not even in mediocre hands.
April 18th, 2008 at 2:23 am
I really hope they aren’t making Jason the killer. That was what was so great about the first film.
I didn’t really like any of Platinum Dunes’ other remakes, and I’m sure this one won’t be any different. They are going to butcher this series even more than it already has been. The first film was a classic, and the 2nd and 3rd were alright, but only because they introduced Jason in the 2nd, and in the 3rd he gets his iconic hockey mask.
I’m sure they will also butcher the rumored ANOES reboot - if it happens.
April 18th, 2008 at 2:25 am
Oh…And part 3 was in 3D! How rad is that?
April 18th, 2008 at 4:24 am
@Hunter… absolutely to the original horror movies. I would love it if a company with money and backing were devoted entirely to new movies. I’m not 100% opposed to remakes, but also don’t see the need to just do it for the hell of it. None of these recent “classic horror” remakes / reboots have been great. The only PD remake so far that I’ve actually liked, I’m ashamed to admit, was the 2003 or 2004 remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, though I might have just been transfixed by Jessica Biel’s abs, but it was also far more competent than the others in terms of direction and editing. Most of them have been really sloppy.
April 18th, 2008 at 8:57 am
NO MORE REMAKES, GODDAMNIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
April 18th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
@ orange cinema
Platinum Dunes is good at making crowd pleasing T&A horror that delivers proper amounts of gore, and their horror films all have a similar aesthetic, which is rare for such a company. They also keep R-rated horror in the public eye - there’s an “event film” feeling to their horror releases even when they don’t connect. I’m not really a fan of their first TCM remake because they went the F13 “cool kill” ethos route instead of paying homage to Tobe Hooper’s more cerebral and terrifying never-ending dread. Hooper’s film lacked style on purpose, it felt real, PD glossed it up with hormones and it didn’t work. They made something more akin to Leatherface.
The original TCM has a great legacy, but was already long pigeonholed as a relentless slasher, when truth is, it’s simply a really good friggin’ movie. The remake only strengthened those preconceptions. Try bringing the original’s merit up in a film class. It’s interesting and usually gets a lot of eye rolls from idiots.
Unfortunately, PD have chosen to remake horror classics rather than venture out and create new slasher franchises. But again, F13 is perfect for what they do. F13 is low brow, crowd pleasing horror - it’s like a dependable strip club in a way - and I think they’ll knock it out of the park, especially after Fuller’s comments. I can’t wait to see this franchise return to theaters.
June 13th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Great, another MTV style remake of one of my favorite horror films. When will it end? These are money hungry people who can’t come up with their own original ideas. It’s not a tribute, it’s a giant money making scheme. A real tribute would be putting the original back in the theater, and making a giant event out of a classic film. Or just making a new Friday film all together. Have these people no creativity?