A project I had forgotten about, but am quite glad to see poke its head up again, is BAIT – which shouldn’t be confused with BAIT 3D, although you’d be forgiven if you got the two mixed up. Both are about a swarm of ravenous sharks terrorizing some youngsters, after all. (For that matter, neither should be confused with David R. Ellis’ untitled shark thriller, also in 3D. Might as well call that one BAIT too.) The main reason to be amped about this horror project – and the one thing that might differentiate it from the rest of the pack – is that Bret Easton Ellis wrote the screenplay; the author of “American Psycho”, “Less That Zero” and “Rules of Attraction” dipping his toe into the creature feature genre has got to come with highly-unique results, no?
Jonas Pate, who along with his brother directed the films THE GRAVE and DECEIVER, will go solo to direct Ellis’ screenplay for Picture Machine and Galavis Films. Pate has mostly been working in television as of late, having helmed episodes of “Caprica”, “The Event”, “Chuck” and “Friday Night Lights”.
According to Variety, BAIT centers on a disturbed woman who holds a group of American students hostage in shark-infested waters.
Now, that doesn’t really jibe with the original synopsis revealed; that one claimed the story focused on a quiet waiter who exacts revenge on the obnoxious rich kids who populate the posh beach club he works at by dropping them in shark-infested waters. Maybe the gender has changed, but the tale basically remains the same..? Whatever the case, I’m sure it’ll be plenty crazy.
Producers are aiming to shoot the film in the spring at Ciudad de la Luz studios in Alicante, Spain, as well as on the open water.