Zombie Musical Anna and the Apocalypse Begins Shooting in Scotland

You know that zombie musical that everyone who loves zombie movies and TV shows has been asking for? Well, it is finally happening. Anna and the Apocalypse, a full-length zombie musical, is currently in the works and has started filming in Glasgow, Scotland.

The news comes courtesy of Screen Daily who are reporting that Anna and the Apocalypse is already underway. Filmmaker Ryan McHenry, who was probably best known for his viral short Ryan Gosling Won't Eat His Cereal, wrote the screenplay for the movie, which is based off the short he wrote and directed back in 2010 called Zombie Musical. Originally, Ryan McHenry was supposed to directed Anna and the Apocalypse but sadly, he died of cancer back in 2015 at the age of 27. John McPhail, who directed the 2016 rom-com Where Do We Go From Here, has taken over directing duties on the project. Here is how the movie is being described in the report.

"In the movie, a girl and her friends must fight, and sing, their way through a zombie invasion to reach the supposed safety of their school, not knowing if their parents and friends will still be alive when they get there."
Ever since The Walking Dead took off back in 2010, zombies have been a hot ticket item in Hollywood. So, it was really only a matter of time before a zombie musical such as Anna and the Apocalypse actually happened, but it actually isn't the first time a project of the like was conceived. Horror legend and zombie movie master George A. Romero was actually working on his own zombie musical at one point called Diamond Dead. The movie would have involved an 80s-style rock band who die in a freak accident and then make a deal to come back to life, who then rock the world as zombies. At one point, Ridley Scott's production company Scott Free was going to produce the movie, but it never actually got off the ground.

Anna and the Apocalypse has a cast that is mostly filled out by relative unknowns, so it is hard to get a sense of how it could play out based on the onscreen talent alone. Ella Hunt (Our Robot Overlords) is playing the role of Anna and Paul Kaye, who is known for playing Thoros of Myr on Game of Thrones and has also appeared on Doctor Who a couple of times, is playing the villain named Savage. The other actors listed are Mark Benton, who is playing Anna's father, as well as Malcolm Cumming, Sarah Swire, Christopher Leveaux, Ben Wiggins and Marli Siu.

There is no word yet on a release date for Anna and the Apocalypse, but the shoot is said to last for five weeks and since it has already started shooting, it hopefully won't be all that long. It is pretty amazing that the idea of marrying zombies and music together onscreen hasn't truly been revisited since Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video, but let's just hope this is as cool as it potentially can be. To get an idea of what Anna and the Apocalypse might be like, you can check out Ryan McHenry's Zombie Musical short for yourself below.

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Jason vs. Michael

Now that summer is over, horror hounds are looking forward to the Halloween season, which, for many fans, means revisiting their favorite horror franchises in celebration of this spooky holiday. One inventive YouTuber decided to kick off autumn by cutting together a fan trailer that pits Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th franchise against Michael Myers from the Halloween series. The results is a blend of great scenes from both franchises along with some inventive special effects to bring these sadistic killers together.

The video was edited by a YouTuber named stryderHD, whose work we showcased back in late June with his Ghost Rider vs. Spawn fan-made trailer. The video features clips from Halloween, Halloween 2, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Halloween 5, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers and Halloween: H20 for the Michael Myers character. For the Jason Voorhees scenes, stryderHD used Friday the 13th, Friday the 13th Part II, Friday the 13th Part III, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, Friday the 13th: A New Beginning and a Jason vs Michael Fan Film by Trent Duncan, which portrays some key scenes towards the end of the trailer that wouldn't be possible even with the most clever editing techniques.

The video also features an homage to Moustapha Akkad, the producer who helped shepherd John Carpenter's original horror classic Halloween in 1978, and most of its subsequent sequels. The trailer reveals that this fan film is "from" Moustapha Akkad, paying tribute to the producer, who passed away in 2005 due to injuries suffered during a terrorist attack in Jordan. Since then, Moustapha's son Malek Akkad has taken over shepherding the franchise, with this trailer coming just as Malek Akkad's producing partner on the new Halloween reboot, Jason Blum, promises that the movie will be in theaters next October, or fans can chop off his hand. So, while it seems that we'll be seeing a new Michael Myers on the big screen next year, the same most likely can't be said for Jason Voorhees.

After the 2009 Friday the 13th reboot, which starred Derek Mears as Jason Voorhees, production company Platinum Dunes has been trying to reboot the franchise again, without much luck. We reported in February that Paramount had completely shut down their Friday the 13th reboot, with insiders claiming that the dismal box office results of the studio's Rings reboot was one of the primary factors in shutting down a new Jason Voorhees movie. Paramount had been planning on starting production this spring on the F13 reboot, but now the project seems as dead as Jason's victims, although perhaps one day someone can truly bring this franchise back from the dead.

Along with scenes from several of the original Friday the 13th and Halloween movies, the video also includes audio excerpts from the original Halloween theme, music from the recut Friday the 13th: Part V teaser, modernized trailer music from the first three Halloween movies and the Halloween 2 modern trailer music. Unfortunately, it seems highly unlikely that we'll get to see both of these iconic characters square off on the big screen. Still, fans can enjoy this clash of the horror titans in this Jason vs. Michael fan trailer below.

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Rush Hour 4

It's been more than a decade since Rush Hour 3 hit theaters, and there are still fans waiting for Rush Hour 4 to bring Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan back together. Those fans may get their wish soon, since Jackie Chan just revealed in a new interview that both he and his fellow Rush Hour franchise star Chris Tucker are getting ready to meet the director, with production possibly starting at some point next year. Here's what the action legend had to say below.

"Good news. Next year, Rush Hour 4, and I hope the script done. And day after tomorrow we meet the director and Chris Tucker again to make sure we go the right track."
While Jackie Chan wouldn't mention the director by name, it's quite possible that he's referring to Rush Hour franchise director Brett Ratner, who directed all three movies thus far, and even revealed in March that he's still talking to writers about a Rush Hour sequel. We also reported in August that Brett Ratner was set to produce a Hugh Hefner biopic, although he is not directing. The filmmaker has taken an extended hiatus from directing, having not taken the helm of a feature film since the underperforming 2014 action-adventure Hercules.

While there is no indication that Brett Ratner would be directing this Rush Hour sequel, since these movies are his biggest hits as a director, it wouldn't be surprising to see him return to the helm for this fourth adventure. There has been talk of a fourth Rush Hour sequel ever since the third movie hit theaters a decade ago, and while there seems to be movement on the project every few years or so, it never comes to fruition. While the franchise is certainly steeped in box office prowess, the third installment sagged quite a bit from its predecessors, which could be one of the reasons this project has failed to move forward over the years.

The first Rush Hour, starring both Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan as their careers were on the rise, was a huge box office blockbuster, earning $141.1 million domestic and $244.4 million worldwide, from a $33 million budget. The domestic mark good for the seventh highest-grossing box office total of the year. The 2001 sequel Rush Hour 2 took in $226.1 domestic and $347.3 million worldwide from a $90 million budget. The third movie took a bit longer to put together, arriving in theaters in 2007, although it couldn't reclaim its predecessors' box office glory. It earned $140.1 million domestic, just under the original, with $258 million worldwide from a ballooning $140 million budget.

Jackie Chan wouldn't divulge any specifics about the fourth Rush Hour movie in his interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, but perhaps the time is right to make this sequel happen. You may recall that the producers did try to bring this franchise to the small screen with a Rush Hour TV series on CBS, which starred Justin Hires and John Foo as the two main characters. The show only lasted one season on CBS before getting cancelled. Hopefully we'll have more on Rush Hour 4 soon, but until then, take a look at Jackie Chan's full interview with the San Francisco Chronicle for his new film The Foreigner.

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New Friday the 13th to Introduce Jason's Dad?

Earlier this week, Friday the 13th producer Brad Fuller said that the upcoming reboot will offer a new origin story for the iconic Jason Voorhees. The producer wouldn't shed too much light on what this origin story will entail, but he did tease that the plot crafted by screenwriter Aaron Guzikowski has "great characters." If a new report is true, it seems one of these characters may in fact be Jason Voorhees' long-lost father, Elias Voorhees.

Birth.Movies.Death's sources claim that Elias Voorhees will be featured in the story, but it isn't known how large or small a role he may play. While we have never seen Elias on screen in any of the previous Friday the 13th movies, the character has been referenced in the past. The original ending of Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives featured Elias visiting the empty grave of his son, but it wasn't used in the theatrical cut. Elias is also referenced in Jason Goes To Hell, which reveals Jason's half-sister, Elias' daughter, and he was also featured in Friday the 13th: Pamela's Tale, a comic book that revealed Jason's mother Pamela Voorhees murdered him because of his abusive nature.

Brad Fuller explained that this new story will offer an origin that no one has seen before, so it makes sense to have Elias be a part of the plot. We don't know for sure if any of the previous references from the movies and comic books were used in the script, or if the producers have even started casting for the role yet. That seems unlikely, though, since no cast members have been attached at this time.

Andrew Form, who is producing with Brad Fuller, teased in March that it will be a period story, hinting that it may go back to the 1980s. The original Friday the 13th movie was released in 1980, spawning nine sequels, ending with 2002's Jason X. The horror icon returned in 2003 with Freddy vs. Jason, and Derek Mears took over as the new Jason in the 2009 Friday the 13th reboot. There is even an upcoming Friday the 13th video game that fans are very excited about. We still don't know for sure if Derek Mears will return as Jason, or if they're casting a new actor for this celebrated role.

Paramount has set a January 13, 2017 release date for Friday the 13th, but with no actors currently cast, or a director on board, it seems likely this will be delayed yet again. If it does stay put in its current release date, it will be going up against Warner Bros.' Geostom, Paramount's Monster Trucks and 20th Century Fox's Hidden Figures. We'll be sure to keep you posted with more updates on this Friday the 13th reboot as soon as more information is available.

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