Kevin Smith tweeted the first photo from his new film Red State late Tuesday night. It’s a shot from behind the head of lead character Abin Cooper, played by Michael Parks (Kill Bill Volume 2), who is a preacher loosely based on Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church. Hit the jump to see the photo and read more about the film, which is currently in production.
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Briefly: We still don’t know very much about Kevin Smith‘s long-gestating middle-America horror film Red State, other than that Michael Parks is tapped for a lead role and that the film is based in part on sham ‘preacher’ Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church. But now there’s a logline for the film, which comes via STYD, that clarifies things just slightly:
A group of kids encounters a crazed preacher (based on Fred Phelps, founder of the Westboro Baptist Church) who gives a whole new meaning to the term “extreme fundamentalism.”
Well, OK, very slightly. Smith is doing a good job keeping this one locked up; he’s talked about wanting to just shoot the movie quietly without giving too many details away, and so far he is successful. The film shoots this fall, so we’ll expect to know more in the next couple months. In addition to Michael Parks, Kyle Gallner, Melissa Leo, Dermot Mulroney, Michael Angarano and Steven Root all seem to have roles. So Gallner and Angarano are in the group of kids, and hopefully Melisssa Leo will be on the preacher’s side.
Posted on Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
I’ll admit, I didn’t like Joe Carnahan‘s Smokin Aces as much as I was hoping to. Disappointed is probably the appropriate word. That’s not to say there isn’t things to like about the film… it just wasn’t the balls out action film that many were expecting. And the direct-to-dvd sequel, Smokin’ Aces 2: Assassin’s Ball, isn’t likely to be any better. In fact, it will probably be a lot worse, especially considering that Lost Boys: The Tribe director P.J. Pesce is at the helm.
The press release advertises that the film “features a sexy cast, whip-smart script and hyper-kinetic visuals.” The big selling point is that Lazlo Soot and the Tremor Brothers from the original theatrical film make their return. Here is the short plot synopsis (plot? do we really need a plot in a Smokin Aces direct-to-video sequel?):
Federal agents once again match wits with a cadre of creative killers in the high-octane feature-length film Smokin’ Aces 2: Assassins’ Ball. Walter Weed (Tom Berenger) is an unassuming desk jockey at the FBI when the Bureau uncovers a plot to assassinate him. A team of degenerate, psychotic assassins dispatched by mystery man Hal Leuco to win a huge bounty includes a resourceful beauty who has a unique method of killing her prey (Martha Higareda), a power-tool wielding psychopath (Vinnie Jones) and a deadly master of disguise (Tommy Flanagan). Also in the hunt is the fan-favorite Tremor family from the original film, featuring nymphomaniacal gun-nut (Autumn Reeser) and her lethal kinfolk (Maury Sterling, Michael Parks and C. Ernst Harth). Baker (Clayne Crawford), the agent in charge of the operation, puts himself and his team in the line of fire to defend Weed, but it’s not until the smoke clears on the film’s explosive climax that the surprising identity of the plot’s mastermind is revealed.
Still with me? You can watch the trailer embedded after the jump.
Some new photos from Planet Terror, Robert Rodriguez’ zombie horror segment of the much hyped double feature have turned up online. Check out the images below (after the jump). As always, left click for higher res.
