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Dark Castle announces 3 new movies, "Haunted Hill" sequel

Joel Silver's Dark Castle Entertainment genre label has inked a multiyear pact with Warner Premiere to produce two or three films a year directly for DVD, beginning with sequel "Return to House on Haunted Hill."

Dark Castle -- backed by private equity and part of Silver Pictures -- also will produce original digital content for the Internet and wireless platforms that will be used to complement direct-to-DVD releases or to tell standalone stories that further the Dark Castle brand.

Warner Bros. launched Warner Premiere last year to make a play in the increasingly competitive direct-to-DVD and digital arenas.

Dark Castle won't produce just horror titles for Warner Premiere but other genre pics as well, including actioners and thrillers. Projects could encompass prequels, sequels and original titles that fit the Dark Castle brand.

And Dark Castle and Warner Premiere are sweetening the pot for consumers able to play high-def DVD formats, introducing "navigational cinema" technology that will allow viewers to interact with the storyline. Warners backs both Blu-ray and HD DVD.

The high-def version of "Return to House on Haunted Hill," set to bow in October under the Dark Castle Home Entertainment banner, will include seven viewer choices leading to over 90 iterations of the storyline, according to Warner Premiere prexy Diane Nelson.

"No one knows how to develop, produce or market to this audience better than Joel," Nelson said.

From Silver's perspective, pact gives Dark Castle the opportunity to expand its brand, work with newer directors and tell stories in a way that can't be done in a theatrical release.

"We are continually looking for fresh and edgy ideas for our films and for our fans to experience," Silver said.

The direct-to-DVD market has grown by 30% in the last five years.

Other film projects in development under the pact include supernatural thriller Widow Whisps; psychological suspense tale Odds, exec produced by JC Spink and Chris Bender; and Cheerleaders in Trouble, a homage to 1980s slasher pics.

Dark Castle, launched last fall, is backed by more than $240 million in equity. The holdings will be used to finance at least 15 movies over six years budgeted between $15 million and $40 million, with Warners distributing the entire slate.

Theatrical films already released under the label include "The Reaping." Upcoming films include "Whiteout" and "RocknRolla."



China-Singapore jointly produce "Painted Skin"

Donnie Yen is to star in Painted Skin, a rare Chinese supernatural actioner being put together as a China-Singapore co-production. The $10 million budget period pic is to be jointly helmed by Wilson Yip Wai-shun (who previously directed Yen in "Dragon Tiger Gate") and Andy Chin Wing-keung.

The pic will lense in China in the final quarter of this year or early 2008, with dates likely dependent on the schedule of as yet uncast female lead. Pic also features Singapore's Qi YuWu "(Home Song Stories"). With large digital effects quotient, pic is scheduled for delivery by end of 2008.

Story is about a love hate relationship between a vixen spirit and a group of humans, and has been adapted from a series of Chinese classic stories called "Strange Tales of Liaozhai."



Anonymous starting on "Animals"

Anonymous Content and T&C Pictures have signed Mark Blucas (Thr3e), Nicki Aycox (Dead Birds), Eva Amurri (Saved!), Andy Comeau (The Babysitters) and Naveen Andrews (Grindhouse, Lost) for the horror film Animals, which begins production this week in Salt Lake City.

Craig Spector (A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child) adapted his original novel, which he co-wrote with John Skipp. Helming the pic is Doug Aarniokoski (The Safe Side, Highlander: Endgame), assistant/second unit director on projects for Robert Rodriguez such as "Once Upon a Time in Mexico."

The story centers on a blue-collar man in a dying factory town whose life is jolted after becoming involved in a romantic triangle amid a spate of uncontrolled violence by...you guessed it...animals.



Unreleased "30 Days of Night" spawning a sequel?

According to a scooper at Cinemablend, there are already talks in progress for a sequel to Columbia Pictures' 30 Days of Night. Usually, every studio wants their films to become a franchise and many talk about how they can lead the film into a sequel if the first is a success.

David Slade's adaptation of the Steve Niles comic, 30 Days of Night, hits theaters October 19.

Synopsis - When Alaska goes dark for 30 straight days, vampires come out to feast...

...and if enough people watch them dine, you'll see a sequel.



(References - bloody-disgusting.com, variety.com, moviehole.net, aintitcoolnews.com, movies.yahoo.com)