Hulk Director to Helm Strays

[Hunter Rider]

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=45996

Source: The Hollywood Reporter
June 16, 2008


The Incredible Hulk director Louis Leterrier is negotiations to develop and direct Strays, an eco action thriller written by Michael Ross, at Summit.

The Hollywood Reporter says that the movie is about a group of young consultants on a business trip to Russia that mysteriously wake up in an abandoned and radioactive city and fight to survive the deadly obstacles in between them and safety.

Leterrier's other credits include the Jason Statham action movies The Transporter and it's sequel plus the Jet Li action pic, Unleashed.

 

[ttotheusher]

Is the abandoned city supposed to be (or represent) Chernobyl?

 

[Hunter Rider]

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/37122

So...What's STRAYS About??



Merrick here...


Yesterday we linked out to a Hollywood Reporter article that said INCREDIBLE HULK director Louis Leterrier would be developing/directing a movie called STRAYS. You can read our report
HERE.

Little was said regarding STRAYS' nature, other than it was about a group of consultants who wake up in an abandoned radioactive city in Russia & have to get out...but something dangerous stands between them and escape.


We later updated our piece indicating that HR's information may not be accurate & that Leterrier will write and produce the project, but probably won't direct it (an arrangement similar to his relationship with Luc Bessson on the TRANSPORTER films).


And, still, not much was known about the film - which HR described as an "eco-thriller".


Keep all of this in mind...


Last night, I received a provocative-but-mysterious e-mail from a source who (to the best of my knowledge) has never been tested by AICN. Which means, take all of this with a grain of salt until more information is gathered.


The e-mail has a slightly different description of STRAYS...one that sounds closer to WOLFEN than any of the titles thrown around in yesterday's Talkbacks.


The mystery message describes STRAYS thusly:

The Russians have been having problems in and around Moscow
with hyper-intelligent feral dogs that the police believe are responsible for missing homeless people.
These dogs are intelligent enough to catch rides on trolleys and subway trains to go to specific destinations.
More would be known about them, but they are aware that they are being studied and they go out of their way to conceal their activities.

So, are these megadogs the "strays" of the title? Are these dogs the dangerous obstacles standing between our consultant team & escape from the radioactive city? Or, are we talking about two desperate concepts here?


We'll let you know as we learn more...

 

[Gotham]

Interesting. I loved The Incredible Hulk, so I'm all for his next film.

 

[BloodyWolverine]

I wonder if they will have him direct The Avengers Marvel if Favrou can't. I'd rather see Matthew Vaughn the Thor Director.

 

[Rac]

For a second there I thought this would be a adaptation of S.T.A.L.K.E.R., but some intelligent dogs? Pass.

 

[Hunter Rider]

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/37144

At Last, Some Solid Information On STRAYS!! It Might Kick Ass!?



Merrick here...

Throughout the week we've been trying to figure out what the hell STRAYS was about; all that's seemed certain is that it's being written and produced by Louis Leterrier (the first two TRANSPORTER films, THE INCREDIBLE HULK).

Instead of me attempting to re-explain the long, twisted stream of conjecture and misleading teases we've been sifting through in regrads to this project, it's easier for you to simply click HERE...then HERE...to refresh your memory.

Throughout all of this, certain pieces of the puzzle didn't fall into place - story elements weren't connecting or making sense. Frustrating.

But, Mr. Northeast recently sent me a message that put STRAYS' storyline into much sharper context. AND, the project sounds far more bad ass than either the initial Hollywood Reporter piece, or our subsequent follow-up, indicated.

Here's what Mr. Northeast had to say about STRAYS:

There is a group of young "consultants", but these "consultants" are brilliant HUMANS and have been trained to investigate "unusual" findings for the military (which one I won't say yet). They are "trackers", the "dogs" for the military's special interests unit.

The plot revolves around this group of young men and women investigating a radioactive anomaly in Russia, and they disappear. They disappear for years, then begin resurfacing in areas around the world with information both powerful and deadly.

The operation becomes to locate all of the military's "strays" (hence the title), to unravel the mystery of their disappearances. But when they begin dying of an unusual malady, the mystery truly begins to unfold.

THAT sounds about right...and sounds much more like Leterrier.

There seems to be a great deal of misconception swirling around this film (even in the trades), so hopefully this will help sort out some bad intel. With any luck, we'll have more details for you soon.

 

[Gotham]

Oh, wow. That is better... and a little Close Encounters to boot.

 

[Hunter Rider]

Agreed, that synopsis is much more intriguing than the previous ones, i hope Leterrier decides to direct and not just write/produce.

 

[Starbird]

I'm definitely going too be watching out for information on this movie, sounds interesting.

About Leterrier, I wish he would be offered movies better than decent action flicks like, the Transporter movies and Unleashed. (good work on TIH) but hopefully this can be his big break?