Joe Dante is no stranger to tiny terrors, in fact he's an expert in the tiny terrors field, having directed GREMLINS, GREMLINS 2, and SMALL SOLDIERS. Now he's set to help bring a new entry in the tiny terrors sub-genre to the screen, a film titled TEDDY BEARS ARE FOR LOVERS.
Dante is serving as an executive producer on the film, which will mark the feature directorial debut of veteran cinematographer Michael Bonvillain (Alias, Lost, CLOVERFIELD, ZOMBIELAND, HANSEL & GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS, FROM DUSK TILL DAWN 3).
Scripted by David Ernesto Vendrell from a story he crafted with Matthew Hawksworth and Almog Avidan Antonir, based on their award-winning short film, TEDDY BEARS ARE FOR LOVERS is set
during a campus-wide Valentine’s Day party and follows college playboy Collin and his current head-over-heels girlfriend Sarah as they are targeted by a group of blood thirsty but adorable teddy bears who come to life seeking revenge for the broken hearts of Collin's ex-girlfriends. Together, the couple must evade the teddy bears and earn the forgiveness of these begrudged and wildly different ex-girlfriends before the sun rises in order to break the curse — all while confronting whether their current relationship is meant to be.
The project is being produced by Endless Media, who are currently in talks with Peter Jackson's Weta Workshop to design and build the homicidal teddy bears.
Dante had this to say about the project:
I was flattered that Endless Media asked me to come on board with them on a really offbeat comedy-horror project that has some affinities with GREMLINS, and I'm looking forward to sharing whatever expertise I have in that arena."
Bonvillain reveals what drew him to TEDDY BEARS ARE FOR LOVERS:
It’s rare to find a project with the right balance of humor, scares and emotions that can make a film entertaining on so many various levels. This project, which at its heart is a love story, builds so many different layers on top of it to create an absolutely horrifying and hilarious thrill ride that keeps you entertained from start to finish. Having been involved as a cinematographer on a number of great films over the years that blended elements of horror and thriller with comedy, I’m excited to direct a project that I think hits all those notes and is hugely entertaining."
Endless Media's Najeeb Khuda, Gavin Lurie, and Andrew Joustra add:
We are absolutely thrilled to be working with Michael and Joe on this incredibly fun film, and cannot wait to bring David’s wonderful script to life. Teddy Bears immediately drew us in from page one because it has something that has become increasingly lacking at the multiplex… it’s a blast. Taking inspiration from the type of films we grew up with, this film hits every chord of why we love going to the movies: mixing just the right amount of thrills and scares with a fun joyride."
Well, you can definitely tell that everyone involved has a passion for the material. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all turns out, as it certainly does sound like it's going to be fun.
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