Oren Peli

Oren Peli Talks THE RIVER; Premieres Tonight on ABC

by Christina Radish    Posted: February 7th, 2012 at 9:36 am

ABC’s intensely scary paranormal thriller The River follows the story of world famous wildlife expert and TV personality Dr. Emmet Cole (Bruce Greenwood), host of the beloved series “The Undiscovered Country.” After Cole goes missing deep in the Amazon, his wife, Tess (Leslie Hope), and estranged son, Lincoln (Joe Anderson), decide to lead a rescue mission deep into the unexplored reaches of the Amazon River, where nature is cruel, magic is real and nothing is what it seems.

While at the TCA Winter Press Tour, executive producer Oren Peli (creator of Paranormal Activity) talked about how he ended up developing an idea for a TV show, the extent of Steven Spielberg’s involvement, the challenges of telling a season’s worth of story in only eight episodes, doing the episodes with a scare-of-the-week while also advancing the overall mystery, trying to create moments where you don’t know what’s going to happen because it’s the unexpected that’s scary, and that even though no one is safe, characters won’t be killed off just for the sake of killing them off. Check out what he had to say after the jump:

20 Things to Know About PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 and the Franchise From Our Afternoon Tea with Oren Peli and the Cast

by Hunter Daniels    Posted: February 1st, 2012 at 4:57 pm

There is a lot Paranormal Activity grand maestro Oren Peli won’t talk about. He won’t talk about his long delayed Area 51. He won’t talk about any hypothetical projects or anyone he wants to work with in the future. He won’t give any specifics on his new TV series, The River. And he professes that he has no idea what Paranormal Activity 4 will look like. With this in mind, it is no great shock to announce that a recent afternoon tea with Peli, as well as Christopher Nicholas Smith, Chloe Csengery and Jessica Tyler Brown (all of Paranormal Activity 3) and Micah Sloat and Katie Featherston (stars of the original film) revealed no great secrets about the franchise’s future. Rather, much like the films themselves, it was an afternoon of looking back and filling in the holes and unanswered questions about what came before.

The players told us about the difficulty of faking amateur camerawork, why Steven Spielberg turned off the original film halfway through, how the production allows for scene ideas from literally everyone, where the original concept for Paranormal Activity 2 came from and much, much more. Read on for the top 20 things to know about our afternoon tea with the cast and crew of Paranormal Activity.

Brad Parker to Helm Untitled Thriller Produced by PARANORMAL ACTIVITY Director Oren Peli [UPDATED]

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: November 1st, 2011 at 12:08 pm

Back in May, we caught wind of a new horror project that Paranormal Activity director Oren Peli was cooking up. Details were slim at the time, but the film was said to center on a group of friends stranded in a ghost town overrun by nature. Today comes word that Brad Parker is set to helm the project based on an original idea by Peli, and we’ve got a few more plot details as well as a cast listing. It appears the ghost down in question is a city that was abandoned in the aftermath of a nuclear disaster, and as the sun sets on the town the group begins to hear “inhuman-sounding cries that indicate that they are not alone.”

The cast includes Jonathan Sadowski ($#*! My Dad Says), Jesse McCartney (Greek), Devin Kelley (The Chicago Code), Nathan Phillips (Snakes on a Plane), Ingrid Bolso Berdal (Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters), Dimitry Diatchenko (Get Smart), and Olivia Taylor Dudley. The script was written by Shane and Carey Van Dyke (The Sacred), and Peli is producing. Peli was originally thought to be directing this untitled thriller, but it appears Parker will be handling directing duties. We have yet to see a directorial follow-up from Peli after the franchise-spawning Paranormal Activity, as Area 51 is in the can and still sitting on a shelf somewhere. FilmNation is fully financing the untitled thriller. [Update: We've been sent the full press release, which informs us that filming has commenced in Eastern Europe. The release is included after the jump.]

First Trailer for PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3

by Jason Barr    Posted: July 21st, 2011 at 9:28 am

The first trailer for the found footage horror pic Paranormal Activity 3 has gone online. Directed this time around by Catfish helmers Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, the film is set in the 1980s and promises to help audiences “discover the secret to the activity.” I too would like to learn how to turn $15,000 into more than $100 million so hopefully this entry will help achieve that end. Otherwise, the film looks to be an origin story that focuses on protagonist Katie’s younger years and the weird happenings that were referenced in the original. If this turns out to be the case, I can’t say I’m overly enthused about seeing it.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer. Paranormal Activity 3 hits theaters this fall on October 21st.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY Director Oren Peli Has a New Horror Film In The Works

by Phil Brown    Posted: May 12th, 2011 at 1:07 pm

Oren Peli had one of the greatest indie horror successes of recent years with Paranormal Activity. What started as a $15,000 project filmed in the first-time director’s house quickly turned into a viral phenomenon and a $193,000,000 worldwide hit. Now Peli is a major player in genre film. He’s already got his own horror production company, plus a follow up directorial project called Area 51 in the can for Paramount, and today it was announced that he will be directing a new horror film for FilmNation. No title is in place and details are being kept scarce for the time being, but the project will definitely involve some of the supernatural shenanigans that made Peli’s name and will be made outside of the influence of a Hollywood studio. Hit the jump for more details on the upcoming horror project.

Rob Zombie to Direct THE LORDS OF SALEM

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 3rd, 2011 at 1:03 pm

Rob Zombie will direct the thriller The Lords of Salem this spring.  According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Zombie’s script is “set in contemporary Salem, where the inhabitants receive a demonic visit from a 300-year old coven of witches.”  I’m sure the coven comes by because they heard how swimmingly everything went for witches the last time they were in Salem area.  The film will be backed by Haunted Movies, which is a partnership between the UK’s Alliance films and Paranormal Activity producers Jason Blum, Oren Peli, and Steven Schneider.  Haunted Movies plans to sell the rights to The Lords of Salem at the European Film Market in Berlin.  They’ll also be showing footage from Barry Levinson’s upcoming film The Bay.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY Director Oren Peli to Helm Adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s ELIZA GRAVES

by Max Lichtig    Posted: November 7th, 2010 at 9:47 pm

Who better to adapt a story by one of the creepiest writers of all time than director Oren Peli, who creeped out audiences a couple years ago with the critically acclaimed (and highly profitable) Paranormal Activity?  According to Variety, Peli has signed on to helm Eliza Graves which is based on a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, or as we know him, the creator of eerie.  Variety reports that the classic Poe tale enters on “a Harvard Medical School graduate who takes a job at an insane asylum, unaware of the fact that it has been taken over by its occupants.”

Hit the jump to learn about which high profile thespians were the first ones interested in the project as well as other Poe-related work that’s in the pipeline.

Exclusive: Oren Peli on PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2; Does he Think it Can be a Franchise Like SAW and What is He Working on Now?

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: October 20th, 2010 at 9:38 am

Before getting to speak with writer-director Oren Peli (Paranormal Activity) on the red carpet at this year’s Scream Awards, I was told he was pretty guarded when talking about future projects.  They were not wrong.  That’s because while Peli was more than happy to talk about his involvement in Paranormal Activity 2 and whether or not the films could become a franchise like Saw, when I started asking him questions about his follow up film, Area 51, he immediately started to stonewall me.  I’ve interviewed a number of people over the last few years and most are willing to at least acknowledge their next project…not Peli.

However, while he wouldn’t tell me anything on Area 51, we did talk about whether or not he’s willing to direct something he didn’t write, is he going to only work in the studio system, could he see a Paranormal Activity 3 next Halloween, and is he writing other projects.  Hit the jump watch what he had to say.  As usual, I’ve time indexed the interview so you can watch the parts that interest you.

Unknowns Cast in Barry Levinson’s THE BAY

by Laura Kelley    Posted: September 27th, 2010 at 9:51 pm

Several unknowns have been tapped to star in Barry Levinson’s upcoming horror film The Bay (aka Isopod.)  According to Bloody Disgusting, the film stars Will Rogers  as “Alex,” Steven Kunken as “Dr. Abrams,” Kether Donohue as “Donna,” Frank Deal as “John Stockman,” Christopher Denham as “Sam,” and Kristin Connolly as “Stephanie”.  The film is currently shooting from a screenplay written by Michael Wallach which tells the story of a biological disaster that takes place in the Chesapeake Bay on July 4^th, 2011.  An isopod parasite carries mutated diseases and infects fish and human hosts, replacing them with itself.  The true extent of the disaster isn’t known until seven years later, when the truth is revealed through home videos taken by residents of the town.  Paranormal Activity’s producers of Jason Blum, Oren Peli, and Steven Schneider are producing along with Brian Kavanagh Jones.

TV News: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA Creator Conjures Magical Police Procedural; PARANORMAL ACTIVITY Creators Developing Found-Footage Series THE RIVER

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: September 2nd, 2010 at 9:21 pm

The fall season of television kicks off in just a couple weeks, but networks are still looking ahead to new series prospects. Deadline and EW have the early word on a new series from Ronald D. Moore, who previously partnered with David Eick on the series re-imagining of Battlestar Galactica. Though little is currently known about the series, it’s apparently a police procedural set in a world of magic not completely unlike Harry Potter, but with a predominantly adult cast. Sounds like a welcome departure from the traditional police dramas featuring cops with various psychological problems and ghosts from their past. It may even serve as a fine replacement for Law & Order since NBC canned that series recently. We’ll keep you posted as the project develops.

Hit the jump for information on a new series from the creators of the horror hit Paranormal Activity.

Tod “Kip” Williams to Direct PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 26th, 2010 at 11:24 am

Paranormal Activity 2 has found its director and his name is Todd “Kip” Williams.  Williams is best known for the 2004 mystery-drama The Door in the Floor.

The question of who would direct PA 2 opened up speculation to the point where at one point it was rumored that Brian De Palma (Carrie, Scarface) would helm the picture.  Oren Peli, who directed the original smash hit, which grossed $192 million worldwide off a budget of $15,000 (a record net gross), will serve as a producer the sequel.

Hit the jump for a statement from Peli about Williams coming on board.  Paranormal Activity 2 hits theaters on October 22nd where it will square off against Saw VII aka Saw 3D.

Akiva Goldsman Joins PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2, But Will Not Direct

by Max Steven Miller    Posted: March 16th, 2010 at 2:09 pm

While the minds behind The First Avenger: Captain America are consistently frustrating fans with their ever-growing grocery list of potential on-camera talent, the sequel to one of the biggest horror movies of all time is having a similar problem behind the camera.

Last month, Collider reported that Brian De Palma (Scarface, Carrie) was one of many directors being considered to direct Paranormal Activity 2.  That rumor seems to have lost its steam with Shock’s report claiming that screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, whose works include A Beautiful Mind (for which he won an Oscar) and Batman & Robin, will be announced as the sequel’s director.

However, it has just been reported that the rumor is not true. Hit the jump to find out the current state of the production team behind the sequel and to find out when we should expect an official director announcement.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 Gets Ready To SAW Audiences In October

by Bill Graham    Posted: January 18th, 2010 at 10:09 pm

Whenever a film becomes a smash hit, there are the inevitable rip-offs and finally the sequel. For Paranormal Activity, we already have news that the director that cut his teeth on Saw VI has come aboard the untitled and mysterious sequel to the hit that tore into audiences worldwide for over $150 million last year despite only having a budget of $15,000.

According to THR, Kevin Greutert will direct the sequel while Michael R. Perry will write. Greutert edited the first five Saw films and sat in the director’s chair for the sixth installment last October. Meanwhile, Perry has hopped from a variety of TV shows, but is best known for his writing on The Guardian and Millennium. Not exactly the ideal guys to put behind the sequel, but there is a silver lining:

Paramount Pictures to Head to AREA 51 with PARANORMAL ACTIVITY Director Oren Peli

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 29th, 2009 at 8:33 pm

According to BFDMemo, Paramount Pictures has picked up the distribution to director Oren Peli’s Area 51, the highly anticipated follow-up to this year’s box office smash, Paranormal Activity.  As previously reported on numerous occasions, Paranormal Activity is the most profitable film of all time, pulling in more than $106 million at the box office on only a budget of $11,000.

BFD notes “Peli had a much larger budget to work with on this extraterrestrial tale than he did for his ghost story, as sources said he brought the film in at a shade under $5 million.”  The story continues that Area 51 will employ the same “found-footage” device of Paranormal Activity as it follows three teens whose curiosity brings them to the infamous secret military base of sci-fi lore.  While no release date has been set, the film almost certainly debut sometime in 2010.  Peli’s next film after Area 51 will be another installment of Paranormal Activity which Paramount will also distribute.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY Director Oren Peli Travels to AREA 51

by Adam Charles    Posted: October 6th, 2009 at 10:50 am

With “Paranormal Activity” trickling its way into theaters over the past few weeks for midnight shows, and garnering some impressive word-of-mouth and ticket sales per theater numbers, helmer Oren Peli is ready to start production on his next project focused around the mythological Area 51 base.  More of the new scaremeister’s sci-fi venture after the jump.

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