Surely, I'm not alone in loving the idea of Simon Pegg appearing in a John Landis-directed comedy about 19th century gravediggers.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/42138

I wonder why it's been so long since Landis has directed a full-fledged feature film (everything Landis has directed for the past 11 years has been either documentaries or tv stuff like his Masters of Horror episodes).

Generally, I'd say it's wonderful news. But I'd be more excited if I Sell The Dead hadn't already stolen their thunder, on what will undoubtably prove a much lower budget. Still, the boys of that film stuck to folks already dead or undead, while Burke and Hare had to convert the living to their cause.

I should be interviewing Landis next week, will ask him about this project.

I'd like to think killing two Vietnamese children put Landis on the Hollywood blacklist, but I imagine it's more likely his films stopped being interesting or successful (BLUES BROTHER 2000, anyone?).

His documentaries MR. WARMTH and SLASHER are both good, if you're considering giving them a spin. Neither is especially hard-hitting or illuminating, but they're interesting and funny.

Ask him if there will be any helicopters in this one.

And please demand that he cast Seth Rogan in GHOULISHLY YOURS, WILLIAM M. GAINES. I'll take full responsibility.

Thanks.

Sorta surprised he's not going with An American Werewolf in... project. Now seems like the right time.

I'd say a female spin would be nice, but Wes Craven sorta killed that approach.

The sequel An American Werewolf in Paris already did that - which production company Polygram rejecting Landis' offer of involvement.

Get thee to the Ginger Snaps series pronto.

I'm talking more the highwire act of balancing chuckles and gasps that Landis pulled off with AWiL. Other than O'Bannon with Return of the Living Dead, there's not anyone that comes to mind as having really pulled that off.

I'd like to see Landis give it another shot.

ETA: Actually... it'd be fun if Landis, Naughton, Agutter and Dunne teamed back up. Seriously... Kessler wasn't taken out by a silver bullet. And if Kessler isn't really dead, then Jack's still doomed to wander.

Will Landis be asking The Scaffold to reform in order to do a new remix of their legendary Burke and Hare song?


Burke and Hare
The pair of them
Burke and Hare
Beware of them
Out to snatch
Your Body from you

No thanks.

David Tennant joins the cast.

This project is sounding better and better. Landis just got assured of the ticket cash of most of the western geek populace.

We can only hope!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5Dme5Uc_Uc

David
Don't I need a silver bullet or something?

Jack
Be serious, would you?

So what is Vic Morrow to you, chopped liver? He doesn't count?

Vincent

I really wish everyone would understand what exactly caused the accident and that the party that was responsible there got immunity. Yes, Landis was in charge and yes, he was ultimately responsible for what happened on his set. Same like the Captain of the ship takes responsibility, irregardless of whether he was directly involved. Which Landis did not do, of course. But really, you'd think that Landis deliberately set out to commit murder that day.

From Landis's Wikipedia page:


In regard to the accident John Landis (during interviews with Giulia D'Agnolo Vallan) has said:
“ When you read about the accident, they say we were blowing up huts - which we weren't - and that debris hit the tail rotor of the helicopter - which it didn't. (...) The FBI Crime Lab, who was working for the prosecution, finally figured out that tail rotor delaminated, which is why the pilot lost control. The Special FX man who made the mistake, by setting off a fireball at the wrong time, he was never charged."




Anyhoos, this new film looks interesting. Tennant being cast makes it look even better.

I'm always amazed at how rarely the name Gary McLarty comes up in these discussions. Do people realize that not only was he the stunt coordinator on THE TWILIGHT ZONE, but he was also the guy who Robert Blake allegedly tried to hire to murder his wife? He's a prominent figure in two of the biggest Hollywood trials of the past 25 years!

Yup.

A movie relies on many people. Even though the director and producers are the command, they're only as good as the crew that supports them. It always bugged me that the guy who actually laid the faulty charge got off immediately so that the prosecutors could go after the bigger fish.

I don't think Landis is a murderer. I think he's an involuntary manslaughterer. I have read one book and several articles written about the TWILIGHT ZONE case, and none of them posits that Landis is blameless. If one exists, I'd like to read it.

"Lower! Lower!"

The KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE DVD has some chilling backstage footage of Landis directing the car to smash through the wall of the "Zinc Oxide and Me" set, and it sure sounds like he wasn't very concerned about on-set safety back then either.

I've read OUTRAGEOUS CONDUCT a couple of times, but I just read Ron LaBrecque's SPECIAL EFFECTS this week, and, yeah, Landis comes off very badly in it. There's no doubt that he perjured himself on the stand to avoid taking any responsibility for the accident. Like the O.J. trial, the TWILIGHT ZONE trial was plagued by incompetent prosecutors who frittered away what should have been a slamdunk guilty verdict for at least some of the accused.