Chronicle - faux-supers documentary

[Lencho01]

Well the whole found footage aspect pretty much died with Andrew. At least that was what I thought when the film ended and thought about how a sequel would be filmed.

 

[Lencho01]

http://www.slashfilm.com/max-landis-explains-what-his-chronicle-sequel-would-have-been/

Max Landis Explains What His ‘Chronicle’ Sequel Would Have Been

Posted on Monday, August 12th, 2013 by Angie Han


The first Chronicle did well enough that Fox quickly snapped screenwriter Max Landis back up to pen a sequel. But then word spread that the studio was displeased with Landis’ take, and several months later Landis confirmed that he’d been taken off the film.

Part of the problem had been that Fox wanted Chronicle 2 to be more of the same, while Landis had something completely new and different in mind. Now he’s offered some juicy details on what, exactly, that something was — along with an admission that Fox may have been right to drop his original idea. Hit the jump to read his comments.

Talking on Twitter, Landis readily acknowledged that his vision for Chronicle 2, which he called Martyr, may not have fit so neatly into fan expectations.

In retrospect, I’m not even sure if fans of the first film wouldve been ready or eager for my second installment as originally written.

Gone was the aspirational ‘what would you do,’ gone were the pranks and bromance, gone were lovely tragic Andrew and hopeful, bright Steve.
​

While Matt (Alex Russell) was expected to return for the sequel, it sounds like the protagonist would’ve been a new character.

In their place was a dark, frustratingly unblinking stare into a complicated world that posed the question is it worth it to be a hero… [t]old from the point of view of a heartbroken and insane woman who would martyr herself to the cause of being the world’s first villain.

It was, in my estimation, a sequel that elaborated on the ideas and situations from the first to create a different genre of movie.

In the best of worlds, in my optimisitc but wildly prejudiced eyes, this could make it an Aliens, a Terminator 2…in the worst a Grease 2.

The most frustrating thing is that I don’t know if I’ll get the opportunity to explain what MOGO was or what he was doing in that cave.
​

Interestingly, Landis revealed that he’d envisioned the franchise eventually leading to an Avengers-esque climax.

So at the end of the day, maybe it’s better that Martyr never saw the light of day. Sad I didn’t get to do some of my other versions.

The multi-movie low budge Chronicle-based found footage superhero universe culminating in an Avengers type team up was a real good one.
​

One of the great things about the first Chronicle was how fresh it felt. Handsome young people with superpowers are a common sight at the multiplex these days, but Landis and Josh Trank managed to put a new and exciting spin on the familiar premise. Martyr sounds like it could’ve pulled off a similar accomplishment. Sympathetic villains crop up in comic book movies from time to time, but it’s rare to see a whole movie from the perspective of the bad guy (or gal, in this case).

Unfortunately for Trank, though, big studio franchises are built on familiarity, not offering something drastically different with each successive installment. So as bummed as we are to hear Martyr will never get made, it’s sadly easy to understand why Fox felt skittish about changing the formula.

 

[dark_b]

it would be an interesting movie.

i dont understand why a sequel to Chronicle needs to be familiar. 9 out of 10 summer blockbusters are the same. why shouldnt a small movie be different? its cheap so its not a big gamble. they have so many characters that they can use in cliche big movies.

 

[Vid Electricz]

While it would have been great to see a sequel that really advanced the story the director wanted to tell and brought tons of new ideas to the table without re-treading the first film (which is all studios really ever want anyway), I'm not sure his idea for the sequel was stellar. Sounds a bit too similar to Unbreakable...

 

[Ultimatehero]

I'm kind of unsure as to how that is a sequel to Chronicle, it sounds like a whole different story with just the titles being similar...

 

[Lencho01]

I guess the major connection would be MOGO, whatever he was supposed to be.

He also added this...

https://***********/Uptomyknees/status/366444656931770370

Martyr also had two pretty cool robot suits in it. Sorta hyper realistic iron man stuff. Magnetic flight, sonic weaponry. Cool, cool stuff.

 

[MadVillainy]

I'm kind of unsure as to how that is a sequel to Chronicle, it sounds like a whole different story with just the titles being similar...

I guess the major connection would be MOGO, whatever he was supposed to be.

He also added this...

https://***********/Uptomyknees/status/366444656931770370

yeah this sounds interesting but as Ultimatehero said this doesnt sound much like a sequel to Chronicle. YMMV on whether thats a good or bad thing

 

[Project862006]

sounds like fox made the smart move

max landis thinks he is a smarter and better writer than he actually is chronicle was'nt great because of the script

while script was'nt bad it was trank's direction that sold it

 

[zeroapoc]

I'm kind of unsure as to how that is a sequel to Chronicle, it sounds like a whole different story with just the titles being similar...

I normally find myself siding with the filmmaker rather than the studio, but I have to admit his take on the sequel doesn't really intrigue me. He sounds a little pretentious to be honest.

 

[DeGenerate10]

What's MOGO?

 

[SolarTiger]

Yeah I couldn't really make sense of what he was saying. Maybe Fox made the right choice wanting not to stray too far.

 

[Ultimatehero]

What's MOGO?

I think the rock underground may have been an alien being?

I'd be interested to see what he does with that idea -- outside of 'Chronicle' -- but as a sequel to 'Chronicle,' as said, it just seems like a completely different film with just having the title in common...

 

[Lencho01]

I'm guessing MOGO was whatever Andrew and co. found in that hole.

Unless they planned something crazy to give us this Mogo...

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

His sequel does sound interesting but I can see why Fox rejected it, fans of the 1st movie werent exactly being serviced with that take, it would have seemed like a completely different movie and not a sequel.

 

[MadVillainy]

I wouldnt have minded/I wouldnt mind having a sequel where instead of following three teens and one of them go bad, the sequel has three teens and only one of them is good.

Eventually the 2 films have "Avengers type team up", like Landis was talking about, in a third film. I think that wouldve been cool. It's basically, if I'm reading it right, Landis's idea. But I wouldnt include mech suits, whose inclusion makes me scratch my head.

I normally find myself siding with the filmmaker rather than the studio, but I have to admit his take on the sequel doesn't really intrigue me. He sounds a little pretentious to be honest.

eh that's kinda how he always comes off to me. Either pretentious or overly passionate. I watched his video on his Man of Steel opinions and agreed with him and even followed him on twitter for a bit, but as you said he can sound a little pretentious

 

[Man in the Suit]

I normally find myself siding with the filmmaker rather than the studio, but I have to admit his take on the sequel doesn't really intrigue me. He sounds a little pretentious to be honest.

Max Landis is... a bunch of things.

 

[dark_b]

is the Landis hate connected to the MOS video? i dont remember in the slashfilm comment section fans hating Landis. things changed on SHH and Slashfilm when he realesed his MOS video.

 

[Man in the Suit]

is the Landis hate connected to the MOS video? i dont remember in the slashfilm comment section fans hating Landis. things changed on SHH and Slashfilm when he realesed his MOS video.

Nope. Landis hate is because of Landis.

 

[Project862006]

is the Landis hate connected to the MOS video? i dont remember in the slashfilm comment section fans hating Landis. things changed on SHH and Slashfilm when he realesed his MOS video.

nah i never liked hm he has a superiority complex he thinks he is smarter than he is and also acts like he is the best writer in the world he wish he had an inch of his dad's talents

quite a hypocrite he slams mos for it's destruction yet i remember chronicle had the 2 kids crashing through buildings aswell

 

[dark_b]

quite a hypocrite he slams mos for it's destruction yet i remember chronicle had the 2 kids crashing through buildings aswell

i agree with Landis. its in no way the same

 

[Project862006]

i disagree with his stance on mos he acts like superman threw zod threw 20 buildings and laughed manically for doing so

 

[craigdbfan]

Landis constantly contradicts himself. Constantly.

Just watch his Superman film pitch. I really enjoyed it and I actually think it would make for a great movie but almost every "problem" he had with MoS is committed in the movie he would do too.

A tad bit hypocritical if you ask me.

 

[dark_b]

film pitch or comicbook pitch? the one with the Zod twist and Doomsday?

 

[craigdbfan]

Yeah the one with Doomsday.

 

[zeroapoc]

is the Landis hate connected to the MOS video? i dont remember in the slashfilm comment section fans hating Landis. things changed on SHH and Slashfilm when he realesed his MOS video.

I've never seen the MOS video. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but just kinda seems like a guy that made a hit and now thinks every idea he spits out is gold. I don't like his sequel idea at all.