Fox not happy with Chronicle 2 script?
Max Landis' script for Chronicle 2 might not be going int he direction Fox is after...
One of the best surprises of the year on the big screen came right back in February, in the shape of Chronicle. Written by Max Landis and directed by Josh Trank, it's a terrific film, that stretches its low budget impressively well.
Fox ordered a sequel to Chronicle when the first film crossed the $100m mark worldwide, and Max Landis set about putting a script together. However, it seems that problems are afoot. According to Landis' father, the marvellous John Landis, Fox isn't happy with what Max has been up to.
"He wrote a sequel and it's amazing", John Landis told The Playlist. "But the studio read it and said 'we want Chronicle again'! And he said 'no, this is the sequel, it's the evolution', and they said 'no, we want that movie again!' So it's difficult".
Where that leaves the film is currently unclear, although we suspect it's very much still in active development. Given that the first Chronicle wasn't the most expensive film to make, might we suggest to Fox - assuming that what John Landis is saying is correct - that it puts its faith in those who delivered last time around? Just a thought...
More on Chronicle 2 as we get it.
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Stupid Fox! How are they going to make Chronicle 2 when they want it like the first? I do not see this working! If I want to see Chronicle 2 just like the first, I would have watched the first then! The story has to evolve to make sense! Like Taken, for example, it was pretty much like the first, and was boring as hell! Fox doesn't know what they are talking about and should really listen to John Landis!!
Whoever these execs are haven't been paying attention to what's been bringing home the Box Office recently. Neither the Batman or Marvel movies have really repeated the same formula and have progressed storylines into something different each time.
Essentially Fox seems to see this as a superhero Paranormal Activity which is appears to be getting ever diminishing returns.
Surely, post-Avengers Fox would be happy to have their own superpower franchise to play with no ties to anyone else. It may mean they can even relieve themselves of their commitments to the marvel properties in time if they do this right.
Doesn't give them an excuse to make a movie that is the same as the original. It sounds like they are desperate to grasp on his phenomenon, but as a fan of Chronicle, I do not want to see a repeat. I don't understand why they continue with the superhero mockumentary from where the story is now.
Well the first movie was very open-ended with questions like what was the thing that gave the guys their powers, and how would the journey of the last character standing continue. This is the platform that allows it to knock it out of the park by giving us something like an alien invasion (if it was an artifact of some kind), A world with powers (if it was the first salvo of a weird meteorite storm), or a government out of control (if the original was seized by the authorities and taken advantage of).
I think Landis has already said it wouldn't be filmed in the same style and would be more straightforward in it's direction and I doubt anybody but the suits think its a good idea to clone the original movie.
The problem is the lack of risk taking at big studios. they think that because the first film was well-received that they need to copy that to get the same results which isn't true, although you do have The Matrix that stands as a warning to Landis on how not to follow up an innovative movie.
True, I agree with everything you said! I only agree with Fox on one thing; the movie should be set as a mockumentary. I think it works really effective and its different. I like your ideas about how the sequel could be set out! The more I think about this, the more I doubt whether this movie really needs a sequel!
I don't know about the found footage style. The original had to really stretch it to capture all the action and I'm not sure what other tricks they could pull.
I'd certainly wouldn't mind seeing some sequences use it. Perhaps the opening scene could benefit by setting up the new premise (aliens suddenly appearing, the meteors landing, army bringing down regimes superhero-style), but Paranormal Activity, IMO, shows that whole movies in this format lose their original edge pretty quickly.
The original was only about 75% found footage, there were plenty of shots when all the characters are in shot and seeing as the obsessive video character, Andrew, is dead how would they continue the found footage theme? If Matt continued filming it would be all POV and that would suck.
Fox should give the Landis, Trank and the creative team free reign on a bigger, but still limited budget. I know movies like Saw and Paranormal Activia® are the same sh*t over and over again, but this movie should not appeal to that demographic.
Is Landis contractually bound to Fox or something? If not, why doesn't he just walk away?
That way Fox can hire some hack and make a bunch of rubbish cashgrab sequels, and Landis gets to keep his reputation intact.
It was all found footage. The shots that you're talking about were shot by the floating camcorder that you saw the main character practicing to handle without touching it.
well said DOG and 5tubby
Online outcry will help John get his script through. So here goes: Ahhhhhhhhh rahhhh grrrrrrrrr gahhhhhhhh GIVE JOHM LANDIS WHAT HE WANTS BECAUSE ITS WHAT I WANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OR ELSE I'LL NOT SEE ANYMORE FOX PRODUCTION! Well I did my part
i remember seeing an interview with max and he originally had a sequel planned from the get-go. And he seemed very protective of it, so i doubt he would do that.
Matt did not say he would do POV version for next film. So its still unclear as to how the filming style will be.