Not one hour ago I got off the phone with Patrick Lussier and Todd Farmer, the two brains behind the upcoming DRIVE ANGRY 3D, as well as the MY BLOODY VALENTINE remake from a couple of years ago. While we spoke mainly about their new film, which hits theaters on FEBRUARY 25th, myself and my podcast co-host Ammon Gilbert had to inquire about what else the two have on their docket. You’ll be able to hear the entire interview in our next installment of the podcast, but for now, here’s a nice sample:
Regarding MY BLOODY VALENTINE 2: Farmer: “It’s buried in the ground, it’s got worms crawling all over it.”
Lussier: “Yeah, I think Lionsgate has been very clear on that, they would love to work with us again on something, but not that.”
After I expressed my surprise, considering the first one was well-liked and profitable for the studio, Lussier continued: “It made them a ton of money. The movie only cost fifteen, sixteen million dollars, it made well over a hundred million dollars… The SAW movies were winding down and, as we were told, they were getting out of that kind of film. And I was like, ‘Really? You’re getting out of films that make money?’ But who knows. Everything can come back around.”
Regarding their remake of HELLRAISER, Lussier said: “You don’t remake it, you can make a movie that plays in the world that Clive created, but you don’t try to remake Clive’s story.”
When I asked if that means it’s a “different take”, Lussier responded: “Yes, quite specifically. Clive’s movie is a personal movie that belongs to Clive, it’s still there, it still holds up, you watch it and what he created is a pretty amazing world. And there’s things behind the curtain that none of the movies ever created have ever allowed you to see and the goal for us is to take you back there and show you that.”
Lussier went on to say that they’re still in the writing phase and feel good about moving forward, but at the same time, “in the realm of filmmaking, who the hell knows?” So there’s still no official greenlight on production.
Finally, regarding the 3D possibility of HELLRAISER, Lussier said: “Nothing like that has been discussed yet. Everything right now is just focusing on the story.”
We then came to CONDITION DEAD, a zombie project written by JoBlo.com contributor Dave Davis. It’s been quite a while since the project was announced and we inquired about its status.
Lussier: “It’s a great script and something we’ve always wanted to do, it’s just a matter of finding the right moment to get it to happen and, you know, literally to get the financing, because it’s not a cheap movie. By virtue of that, it’s about finding the magic moment when somebody says ‘Oh my god, here’s a bunch of money for you.'”
Asked if there’s a DRIVE ANGRY 2 on the horizon, Lussier said: “Oh I would say anything is possible, wouldn’t you Todd?”
Farmer: “Yeah, if they want to do something, we’d certainly… We love the characters, we love the story and we’d probably have a fully figured out part two in mind.”
He continued: “We have ideas. It depends on if people like the movie and it’s well received, but sure I’m game. I loved these characters, this was the funnest script we’ve written.”
That’s all for right now, but keep your ears peeled for next week’s AITH Podcast to hear the interview in its entirety!