Seth Grahame-Smith

TOP 5: James Cameron Only Making AVATAR Movies, GANGSTER SQUAD Trailer, PROMETHEUS Is Rated R, Joss Whedon Editorial, DARK SHADOWS

by Jason Barr    Posted: May 12th, 2012 at 2:29 pm

In last week’s opening paragraph I welcomed the summer movie season into the fold by way of The Avengers. Earlier this week it dawned on me that another season is upon us as well. One that is nearly as costly as a summer blockbuster, albeit far less anticipated by yours truly: wedding season. Over the course of the next few months, I’ll attend no fewer than four ceremonies/receptions (not including my own) and, while I’ll be honored to have been invited to share a special moment with friends new and old, I’ll likely fall behind on my summer movie checklist. So, if you start noticing Top 5 opening paragraphs having less to do with film than what type of dessert was served at the reception, you have my most sincere advance apology.

Wedding disclaimers aside, awaiting you on the other side of this week’s Top 5 is James Cameron saying he only wants to make Avatar movies from now on, the first trailer for director Ruben Fleischer‘s Gangster Squad, Prometheus‘ R-rating, Matt’s letter of recommendation for Joss Whedon, and Dark Shadows coverage including interviews with Johnny Depp, Tim Burton, and Seth Grahame-Smith. A brief recap and link to each ensues after the jump.

Seth Grahame Smith Talks DARK SHADOWS, the BEETLEJUICE Sequel, Tim Burton’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING, UNHOLY NIGHT, and More

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: May 11th, 2012 at 2:14 pm

With director Tim Burton‘s Dark Shadows opening this weekend, I recently got to interview screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith. Starring Johnny Depp as a vampire who awakens in 1972 after having been buried for 200 years, Dark Shadows is based on the 1970s TV series with the same name and it also stars Eva Green, Michelle Pfeiffer, Chloe Moretz, Jackie Earle Haley, Gulliver McGrath, Helena Bonham Carter, Bella Heathcote, Ray Shirley, and Jonny Lee Miller.  For more on the film, here’s 20 images, 9 clips and 12 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage from the set, and Matt’s review.

During my extended interview with Grahame-Smith, we talked about how he got involved in the project, his anxiety about having his first film released, how John August contributed to the project, deleted scenes, and what might be on the Blu-ray.  In addition, with Grahame-Smith involved in some other high profile projects, we also talked about the Beetlejuice sequel, Tim Burton’s Night of the Living, Unholy Night, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to check it out.

DARK SHADOWS Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 10th, 2012 at 11:35 am

Tim Burton‘s Dark Shadows is a series of flawed assumptions resulting from remarkable incompetence.  Burton believes he’s blended a gothic style with a campy comedy, but his film is neither.  The characters act at being a bunch of kooky, Addams Family-style misfits, but they’re nothing more than vague, one-dimensional sketches or, in the case of the protagonist, a confused contradiction.  Seth Grahame-Smith‘s script thinks it has balanced out the story elements into a compelling narrative, but it’s a poorly plotted mess that eschews character development in favor of a softball joke or clumsy dark humor.  With the exception of a great performance from Eva Green, Dark Shadows flails wildly at concocting a strange brew, and only comes up with weak tea.

Tim Burton Talks FRANKENWEENIE, BEETLEJUICE 2, BIG EYES and a PINOCCHIO Film with Robert Downey Jr.

by Christina Radish    Posted: May 9th, 2012 at 9:00 am

The black and white, stop-motion animated 3D film Frankenweenie, from director Tim Burton and based on the ideas in his 1984 live-action short, is a heart-warming tale about a boy and his beloved dog.  After unexpectedly losing Sparky, young Victor (voiced by Charlie Tahan) sews him back together and harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life, but quickly faces unintended and sometimes monstrous consequences for his actions.  The voice cast also includes Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau, Atticus Shaffer and Winona Ryder.

During an early press day for the film, in which we got the chance to preview nearly 30 minutes of the film, director/producer Tim Burton talked about expanding the original story from his short, where the idea originally came from, casting actors that he hadn’t worked with in a while to voice some of the characters, how the stop-motion medium has changed over the years, his hope that younger audiences will want to explore the monsters that he’s paying tribute to in the film, and post-converting to 3D.  He also talked about the fact that Seth Grahame-Smith is working on writing Beetlejuice 2 and that he might be interested in getting involved depending on what he thinks of the script, the rumor about him doing a Pinocchio movie with Robert Downey Jr., and that Big Eyes is in the works, but that you never know what will be ready to go next.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

New Featurette for ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER Sells the Film as a Superhero Movie

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 2nd, 2012 at 11:56 am

A new featurette for director Timur Beckmambetov’s Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter has gone online.  Bits and pieces of new footage are interspersed with Beckmambetov, writer Seth Grahame-Smith, and producer Tim Burton talking about the film.  Essentially they’re selling the movie as a valid entry in the superhero genre, with Burton going so far as to compare their Abraham Lincoln to Batman.  I wasn’t a huge fan of Beckmambetov’s Wanted, and I’m still not convinced that Vampire Hunter won’t be a series of action sequences filled with so-earnest-it’s-cheesy dialogue.  I’d love nothing more than to be pleasantly surprised, but I still feel like the film would’ve been a lot more fun if the premise had been played tongue-in-cheek.

Hit the jump to watch the featurette.  The pic stars Benjamin Walker, Dominic Cooper, Rufus Sewell, Anthony Mackie, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead and opens in 3D on June 22nd.

New Featurettes for THE AVENGERS and DARK SHADOWS

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: May 1st, 2012 at 5:16 pm

I don’t know if there’s any footage left to squeeze out of The Avengers, but the Marvel Marketing Machine (which could be the villain in a presumed sequel) is still cranking out propaganda, which you can get caught up on here.  We posted a new TV spot for the heroic assembly movie earlier today, but a new featurette has debuted as well.  Luckily, Dark Shadows has decided to release their own featurette which focuses on the Collins’ family.  The Avengers, directed by Joss Whedon and starring Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg and Cobie Smulders opens May 4th.  Dark Shadows, directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfieffer, Eva Green, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jackie Earle Haley, Johnny Lee Miller and Helena Bonham Carter opens a week later on May 11th.  Hit the jumps to check out the new featurettes.

DARK SHADOWS Featurette Highlights Christopher Lee’s Role, Cinematic Vampire History, and Shows Original Series Cast Members

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: April 26th, 2012 at 5:43 pm

With a cast that sports Johnny Depp, Eva Green, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jackie Earle Haley, Helena Bonham Carter and Michelle Pfeiffer, it’s easy to lose Christopher Lee in the mix.  This new Dark Shadows featurette reminds us that Lee is a consummate master of the horror genre and can boast a role that will forever be cemented in cinematic history.  There’s a nice visitation of classic (ie non-Twilight) vampire movies that serve as inspiration for Depp’s version of Barnabas Collins, an imprisoned vampire who is awakened in the 1970s and must protect his dysfunctional descendants.  The film, directed by Tim Burton, also stars Gulliver McGrath, Bella Heathcote, Ray Shirley, and Jonny Lee Miller. Dark Shadows opens May 11th.  Hit the jump to check out the featurette.

Seth Grahame-Smith to Pen NIGHT OF THE LIVING, a Stop-Motion Animation for Tim Burton

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: April 9th, 2012 at 4:32 pm

Having previously collaborated on Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Dark Shadows, it comes as little surprise that screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith and Tim Burton are teaming up yet again.  The Pride and Prejudice and Zombies author will reportedly pen Night of the Living, a stop-motion animation custom-made for the dark director.  According to Grahame-Smith, the story idea had been brewing for years, but he took it to Burton while the duo worked on Dark Shadows. Grahame-Smith also noted that Burton’s stop-motion films Frankenweenie and Corpse Bride struck him as an ideal format for Night of the Living. Plot details are limited, but we previously reported that the movie might revolve around a “a town of peaceful monsters who must learn how to fight when it is invaded by humans.” Hit the jump for more.

Bloody New Book Trailer for Seth Grahame-Smith’s UNHOLY NIGHT

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: March 29th, 2012 at 8:49 pm

With author Seth Grahame-Smith’s Dark Shadows debuting May 11th and his adaptation of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter due out in theaters on June 22nd, you might be wondering what else the writer is up to. Well, since the adaptation of his novel, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is still stuck in development hell, Warner Bros. is moving ahead with his new book, Unholy Night. The story is a re-imagining of the Biblical “Three Wise Men.” Canon says that these men came bearing gifts to the newborn Jesus, but Grahame-Smith has a different take. Apparently, they were three thieves that were forced into protecting Mary, Joseph and Jesus from some good Old Testament evil. The book doesn’t hit the shelves until April 10th, but you can get a look at the type of gory story you’re in for with this new book trailer. Hit the jump to check it out.

David Katzenberg to Direct Found Footage Teen Thriller THE WAITING

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 28th, 2012 at 8:47 am

David Katzenberg is set to make his feature directorial debut with the teen thriller The Waiting. Variety reports that Katzbenberg will direct and produce through his KatzSmith production banner alongside Pride and Prejudice and Zombies author/screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith. The story centers on “two young filmmakers who decide to create the illusion of a haunting on an unsuspecting neighbor.” Naturally, the pic will use a combination of found footage and traditional narrative. It appears my Christmas wish to abolish the found footage genre altogether has gone in vain. Mr. Claus, you’ll be hearing from my lawyers.

Katzenberg and Grahame-Smith created the MTV series The Hard Times of RJ Berger. Katzenberg has directed episodes of that series and MTV’s Awkward. Grahame-Smith has a busy slate ahead of him, as two projects he wrote are set to open this year: Dark Shadows and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. He’s also hard at work writing a Beetlejuice sequel and an adaptation of his action-oriented Three Wise Men novel Unholy Night. If you missed Steve’s interviews with the scribe where he gave updates on the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies movie, the Beetlejuice sequel, and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, be sure to check them out.

Author/Screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith Talks ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER at WonderCon

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: March 23rd, 2012 at 6:10 pm

At last weekend’s WonderCon, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter director Timur Bekmambetov, star Ben Walker and author/screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith showed off a new trailer and an extended section of a big action set piece that featured all the principal cast.  If you missed Dave’s recap of the panel, click here.  You can also watch the new trailer here.  For those just hearing about the project, the film re-imagines our 16th President as a statesman by day and a vampire slayer by night.

Shortly before the panel, I got to sit down with Grahame-Smith.  We talked about being at WonderCon, the collaboration between himself, Tim Burton, Timur Bekmambetov and 20^th Century Fox on the project, how has the project changed along the way, and and what they learned from their friends and family screening.  Hit the jump to watch.

Seth Grahame-Smith Talks PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES, DARK SHADOWS, UNHOLY NIGHT and More

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 22nd, 2012 at 3:51 pm

Seth Grahame-Smith is becoming the go-to guy for genre projects.  After writing a number of tongue-in-cheek comedy books, Grahame-Smith broke big with his novel Pride and Prejudice and Zombies in which he mixed a zombie plot into Jane Austen’s classic novel.  He followed that book up with another mash-up, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, and now both properties are getting the big screen treatment.  Grahame-Smith wrote the screenplay for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, and was tapped by Tim Burton to write his adaptation of the cult soap series Dark Shadows.  Burton was so impressed with Grahame-Smith’s work that he hired him to write a sequel to the horror-comedy classic Beetlejuice (read Grahame-Smith’s update on that project here).

Steve recently got the chance to speak with Grahame-Smith at WonderCon where he was promoting the upcoming release of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.  The scribe gave an update on the long-in-development feature adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, his next book Unholy Night (which is also getting the movie treatment), talked about the tone of Dark Shadows and fan response to the trailer, and more.  Hit the jump to see what he had to say.

Seth Grahame-Smith Gives Update on BEETLEJUICE Sequel; Says Film Will Be a True Sequel Set 26 or 27 Years After the Original

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 17th, 2012 at 8:07 pm

Director Tim Burton looks to be returning to his comedic roots with his upcoming film Dark Shadows.  The first trailer premiered the other day, and the main comparison that came to mind tone-wise when watching the trailer was Burton’s masterwork Beetlejuice.  The ghoulishly funny 1988 film is a classic, and rumors of a sequel have lingered for quite a few years now.  We got a brief update from Burton back in January, when he confirmed that his Dark Shadows screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith was working on a screenplay.

Steve got to speak with Grahame-Smith earlier today at WonderCon where the screenwriter was promoting Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, and he gave an update on the Beetlejuice sequel confirming that Michael Keaton would return to star and Burton would produce.  He also revealed that the film will take place 26 or 27 years after the original, and teased what the premise might involve.  Hit the jump to see what he had to say.

Video and Images from Our Visit to the ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER Event in Springfield, Illinois

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: February 25th, 2012 at 10:00 am

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is selling itself as one of the most exciting genre films hitting this summer. To get people in the mood Fox hosted an event in Springfield, Illinois – the home of Lincoln’s tomb, and his library and museum. That evening director Timur Bekmambetov, writer Seth Grahame-Smith, producer Jim Lemley, and the film’s Abraham Lincoln himself Benjamin Walker were given a tour and hosted an event where they showed the film’s trailer, four film clips, and answered some questions.  After the jump, check out video from Lincoln’s Tomb, the vault where some amazing historical artifacts are kept, and a number of images.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER 30 Minute Q&A with Benjamin Walker, Timur Beckmambetov, Jim Lemley and Screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: February 22nd, 2012 at 4:25 pm

For Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, we were taken to Springfield, Illinois to talk to star Benjamin Walker, director Timur Bekmambetov, producer Jim Lemley and writer Seth Grahame-Smith. They showed us the film’s trailer, producer Tim Burton’s introduction, a behind the scenes featurette, and gave us a Q&A for over 30 minutes. Here’s a few of the things they talked about:

• On casting Benjamin Walker, they saw him playing Bloody Andrew Jackson
• It was shot in Louisiana for budgetary reasons
• Writer Seth Grahame-Smith sees the film as like a superhero origin story
• Expect it to be bloody and scary
• There is the possibility of a sequel
• For the director, it was about finding the reality of the fantasy
• The original story came from seeing Twlight books and Lincoln biographies

Hit the jump for the video and transcript.

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