Horror 'Creature from the Black Lagoon'

[The Shredder]

I quite enjoyed JP3... It was better than JP2.

I have to say I agree with you on that one.

Not too terribly worried about a script review from not one, but two years ago. Considering theres really no way of knowing how many rewrites, or new drafts have been presented between that time, and now. Hopefully, it's for the better.

Now other than being curious about which actress will be filling Julie Adam's shoes from the original (Crosses fingers for Connelly), I have to say interest in seeing what changes will be brought about The Creature itself is definately something that has crossed my mind here lately as well. As the original suit was, IMO, way ahead of it's time which certainly made it easy to become so recognizeable as one of Universal's most well known movie monsters. But considering the film is heading towards a Alien/Thing type of film, I wouldnt rule out the idea of the audience only seeing The Creature (much like in the original Alien) in quick scenes, until the climax where it's revealed in full. Maybe, maybe not.

 

[turtlefocker]

I didnt like JP3 but that dosetn mean I wont like this. JP3 was what his first directing job? Directing isnt as easy as we think.

 

[turtlefocker]

I didnt like JP3 but that dosetn mean I wont like this. JP3 was what his first directing job? Directing isnt as easy as we think.

sorry your psot confused me I thought you said the guy who directed JP3 was directing this.

 

[Darth Elektra]

wasn't there some concept art for the creature a while back? i think from when guillermo del toro was attached to direct.

Yes, it was really good too.

 

[Darth Elektra]

EXCL: Eisner on Creature from the Black Lagoon Remake!

Breck Eisner meets ShockTillYouDrop.com in Pasadena to talk NBC's Fear Itself, and his episode The Sacrifice (more on that later), and the only thing echoing through this writer's skull is: Creature from the Black Lagoon, Creature from the Black Lagoon... Yes, the long-mooted remake to Universal and Jack Arnold's 1954 film.

Myriad directors have dipped their toes into the property, but were not committed enough to dive right in. That is, until Eisner had his named attached to an update nearly three years ago, working from a script by Gary Ross. The waters have been seemingly calm on the Creature front since then leading some to suspect Universal's attempts to float another Gill Man adventure were mere pipedreams. But the truth is, Eisner is reworking Gary Ross' screenplay right now. In fact, he took time off from that task just to meet us today.

"We scouted the movie last year but got shut down when the writers strike happened," Eisner explains to us. "We had a crew in the Amazon where we're going to shoot all of the exteriors. We're shooting in Manaus, Brazil and on the Amazon in Peru. I want it to be authentic. I'm a big fan of Werner Herzog and Fitzcarraldo. Herzog got that authenticity. He shot in Manaus. So, we scouted for a month. There's this place called the Forest of Mirrors, because there are so many lagoons on a thousand mile green carpet river, and we found the lagoon we're going to shoot in."

Eisner is also currently prepping a remake of George Romero's The Crazies which he'll shoot before Creature. "I want to get that film done, get it into post-production then head to the Amazon for 'Creature.' Oddly, I'm waiting on the height of the Amazon river before we start shooting - it drops 50-feet in October and November. But we've got the boat set and everything ready to go."

The new Creature will take place in a contemporary setting, and, will feature a mixture of CG and practical FX. "The Creature has been designed, we've spent six months designing him." Eisner says Spectral Motion has built a maquette based on an appearance created by Mark "Crash" McCreery (Jurassic Park, Pirates of the Caribbean). "We went top shelf on it. It's very faithful to the original, but updated."

Asked if he was turning the Creature into a huge action spectacle like Universal's Mummy films, Eisner expresses a noted reverence for the studio's atmosphere-soaked originals like James Whale's Frankenstein and George Waggner's The Wolf Man. "We debated tone a thousand times. For me tone is the most interesting thing a filmmaker has and so the Creature is a creature, it's not a monster. That's my number one thing about the movie. We're not going to turn him into a monster. He's still going to be empathetic, he's still going to be deadly, he's still going to have a misguided means of expressing his interests in a woman, but it's uniquely the Creature. It's empathy for a deadly creature and tone plays a big part of that." Still, Eisner knows full well Universal is aiming for summer movie fare so, "it will deliver of action and excitement, but I want it to be scary. The Creature was scary when it first came out in '54 - it's not scary today - but that's what updating means to me, updating the tone of the original."

 

[Darth Elektra]

The original trailer:

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[Matt]

Well, Eisner seems to know what he is doing to an extent, and while I still wish Guillermo Del Toro's remake got off the ground, I will give this a try.

Here are the concept images from Del Toro's Creature Remake:

(okay, I've searched for about 15 minutes and can't find it, so if anyone else knows where it is, please post it).

And here is his pitch for the movie:

"I want to set the story in Victorian times during the exploration of the Amazon. The original Creature was essentially King Kong, but I want to make it more a 'beauty and the beast' fable. I want the look and feel to be akin to Jules Verne's tales like 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA. I want to increase the horror edge and make it really scary, because my archaeological explorers will discover an area of the Amazon that has been kept on a tangential track of evolution alongside mankind. So there will be giant carnivorous squid, prehistoric sharks and weird alternate lifeforms that shouldn't really exist in such a fresh-water environment. Fish do truly have either an angelic or devilish quality, and I want to play on that. The Creature will be the Man of this exotic world," del Toro explains. "He will be very smart and able to turn the tables on his human hunters. I have a scene where the hunters find fossil remains and realize that the Creature's brain cavity is larger than a human one. He's not the lumbering, roaring monster of Ricou Browning's day, but a sophisticated Gill Man that will come to life through a mix of CGI and a man in a suit. In the original film, the Creature falls in love with the Julie Adams character. The twist in my version is that the girl will also fall in love with him. I want her to almost get it on with the Creature!"

And here is some fan art (I think) that I came across while looking for Del Toro's concepts that is just really damn cool and IMO would be the perfect upgrade. (in spoiler tags because it is kinda big)

Spoiler

 

[jaguarr]

I still have some hope that this film will turn out fantastic. The people who get involved with it all seem to have the right perspective and talent to pull it off. After the butchering of The Mummy, it's good to see Universal taking a more serious stab at their properties. The Wolfman with Benicio del Toro looks incredible as well. This would make a nice compliment to that film and could set the tone for Universal truly resurrecting their Golden Age monsters and updating them in a fashion that makes them viable, respected properties in this day and age. I hope Eisner pulls it off.

jag

 

[The Lizard]

The original 1954 Creature design still holds up remarkably well today. True, the Creature isn't super bulked-up and toothy like we expect our monsters to be these days, but the pulsating gills and scaly skin of the original still looks convincing.

 

[jaguarr]

I agree, Lizzie. There's very little they need to do with the Creature design. It's still such an evocative and classic image.

jag

 

[The Lizard]

Also, despite the various differing beauty aesthetics between today and the '50s, Julie Adams was simply drop-dead gorgeous in the movie. Whenever I watch it, I can't take my eyes off her.

And yes, she did look like Jennifer Connelly, albeit a 25 year-old Jennifer Connelly.

 

[Gotham]

Can't wait to see the updated version of the creature.

 

[Matt]

The original 1954 Creature design still holds up remarkably well today. True, the Creature isn't super bulked-up and toothy like we expect our monsters to be these days, but the pulsating gills and scaly skin of the original still looks convincing.

I say if you add some scales to this design it will be perfect:

 

[jaguarr]

I don't like the mouth/muzzle on that design, but everything else about it is cool, Matt.

jag

 

[Darth Elektra]

The face just doesn't look right.

 

[Figs]

Also, despite the various differing beauty aesthetics between today and the '50s, Julie Adams was simply drop-dead gorgeous in the movie. Whenever I watch it, I can't take my eyes off her.

And yes, she did look like Jennifer Connelly, albeit a 25 year-old Jennifer Connelly.

Agreed! She was hot!

So no concept art or pics of their creature design yet?

 

[Brian Braddock]

So, here's some different takes on the Gill-man from various sources:-

Art Adams (Buffer and nastier):-

Stan Winston's version from 'Monster Squad' (Scarier looking):-

So, Should they stick to the original design? Should the modify it only slightly or do a complete re-vamp? What do people think? Personally, I think the original design is great and should be kept; just with monor tweaks to make him look more threatening.

I definately prefer a man in a suit as opposed to CGI when it comes to horror; as I've posted before on the Wolfman boards. Practical effects seem to fit better in the horror genre imo.

Also, having watched the original again only a few weeks ago - it became clear to me that John Williams must have been a fan of the film as there is a definite similiarity between the originals score (the swimming scenes) and the famous 'der-dum, der-dum' theme from 'JAWS' (my favourite movie, by the way). I normally like a remakes score to have touches of the original but I'm concerned that if they did that this time around, folk not in the know would see it as ripping off Jaws.

What do people think? Is there anyone who's had the same thoughts as me or am I all alone on this one?

 

[cerealkiller182]

Spoiler

I like this design. Found it on google.

this ones cool too
http://countingdown.com/movies/1034742/multimedia/images?item_id=2468576

 

[Darth Elektra]

So, here's some different takes on the Gill-man from various sources:-

Art Adams (Buffer and nastier):-

Stan Winston's version from 'Monster Squad' (Scarier looking):-

So, Should they stick to the original design? Should the modify it only slightly or do a complete re-vamp? What do people think? Personally, I think the original design is great and should be kept; just with monor tweaks to make him look more threatening.

I definately prefer a man in a suit as opposed to CGI when it comes to horror; as I've posted before on the Wolfman boards. Practical effects seem to fit better in the horror genre imo.

What do people think? Is there anyone who's had the same thoughts as me or am I all alone on this one?

Wow, great thoughts! I concur!

 

[cerealkiller182]

I like guys in suits for monsters but not for this.

Stan Winston could do wonders with a slightly bigger anamatronic creature.I want to get away from the guy in the suit cause im afraid it'll look to much like the predator, so i think it be a good idea to go in another direction

 

[EdRyder]

Man-In-Suit has an upside.In the original when he was out of water and walking around like Frankenstein it was terrible.But all the underwater filming is still creepy.When you see man-in-suit swimming around in the distance it adds a level of realism.
My fear would be that they would just fore go all that in favor of CG with some splashy effects,..You know how hollywood minds work "We'll do it in CG and show how ultra fast he swims."-Making it all the more unrealistic.


As far as all these designs go, I dont like em.Even the Del Toro one.His face is too fish not enough human
.

 

[cerealkiller182]

Depends on the CGI. If you do Van Helsing than your an idiot. But if you do Jurassic Park thats perfect. Winston is the most underused commodity in the business. Why they didnt ask him back for AVP (which ended up being good in the long run cuz the movie sucked so bad) is beyond me.

 

[The Lizard]

If there ends up being CGI used for some monster scenes, I hope the CGI is provided by The Orphanage. Those guys are fantastic.

 

[the_ultimate_evil]

like the new wolfman i'm only interested in seeing hwo the update/redesign the look of the monster

 

[Boom]

Epic Bump.

I did some searching on YouTube and found this. Any idea if this is related to the project or not?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOvFO8d4WPQ&feature=related

Also, I am unfamiliar with Eisner as a director. What's the word on him? Because of all Monster Movies out there, this is the one that I do not want them to **** up.