It was only a matter of time, but it looks as if Fox is about to fold their Fox Atomic label, which was responsible for a slew of comedies and genre pics including 28 Weeks Later, The Hills Have Eyes II, and Turistas. This would mean that the forthcoming Jennifer's Body would be released via 20th Century Fox on September 18, assuming the studio doesn't push it. In addition, the news also confirms that there were in fact plans for a 28 Months Later, the third zombie film in the franchise created by Danny Boyle. No word on what will happen now. You can read all about the fold inside.
Via Variety:
"Is another studio specialty shingle about to shutter?
Rumors spread through the weekend that 20th Century Fox is set to discontinue Fox Atomic, the production label that was started by Peter Rice in 2007 to generate comedy and genre films.
According to sources, label head Debbie Liebling is considering an offer to return as an executive at 20th Century Fox, where she would continue to develop comedies and genre pics for co-presidents Alex Young and Emma Watts. There is no word on what will become of the rest of the executive staff.
Fox would not confirm the move, and speculation is that the division is a casualty of not enough hits, but most importantly, that the division’s chief benefactor, Rice, was elevated to run Fox Broadcasting for Rupert Murdoch.
Fox Atomic was formed in January 2007 around Liebling, who as a Fox exec developed a flair for comedy on such Fox hits as “Borat” and “Dodgeball.” Before that, she served as a producer on the “South Park” series and the 1999 feature film.
The label has had its name on such genre efforts as “28 Weeks Later,” “The Hills Have Eyes II,” and “Turistas,” and comedies like “The Rocker,” “The Comebacks,” “Miss March,” and “12 Rounds.”
The comedies have mostly missed, and Fox Atomic’s free-standing marketing operation was shuttered in January 2008, with 20th and Searchlight taking over the sales efforts on Atomic product.
Atomic was hoping to make its biggest mark later this year, with two potentially commercial films that include the July 10 opener “I Love You, Beth Cooper,” which was directed by Chris Columbus and stars Hayden Panettiere; and “Jennifer’s Body,” the Diablo Cody-scripted Karyn Kusama-directed horror film that stars Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried. That film will be released Sept. 18.
Liebling has several other high profile projects percolating, movies that presumably will move over the 20th. They include “28 Months Later,” a continuation of the zombie franchise launched by director Danny Boyle, and “Accidentes,” which Liebling bought as a pitch for a potential star vehicle for Sacha Baron Cohen to play an ambulance chasing lawyer who becomes a working class folk hero. Peter Baynham, who shared an Oscar nomination for scripting “Borat” with Baron Cohen, will write the screenplay, and Baron Cohen is overseeing the comedy as producer."
1) I love how they acknowledge that 12 Rounds is a comedy. Good for Variety. 3) They could fix everything is they got rid of Tom Rothman. They can fold as many studio branches as they want but if they still have that guy cutting budgets for good movies and trying to dumb them down, they still won't have a good business plan, regardless.
Also, Variety yet again gets their facts wrong. Fox Atomic was launched in 2006, not 2007. Turistas came out in 2006. However, I've said it before, Fox Atomic was pretty much doomed from the get-go. With the exception of their horror flicks, their films have pretty much failed across the board and they haven't done much as of late to try and fix that. Plus, the name was god awful. 'Fox Atomic'? Are you kidding? I'm glad to see this genre label die. Now if the Weinsteins would get Dimension Films back on track we'd be set! XD
I hope another 28 days film is made. The sequel was really good too, and that's more than you can say for a lot of horror movies. Heres hoping for the best.
LOL 28 days is a kind of zombie film, not your typical zombies where they come out of graves and shit this is a more putbreak sort of zombie in which is shuts down your system reboots you up as a fuckin degrange person. End of story. And months will be picked up by someone else.
I completely agree with the other zombie purests in this post. The 28 movies aren't zombie movies. If you disagree go look up the definition of 'zombie'.
There aren't any reanimated corpses in those films, when you die you stay dead. Also make note of the fact that most of the infected in those movies end up dying of starvation. A zombie certainly wouldn't die that way because a zombie is already dead!
Zoombies in 28 days later, there are different variations of zombies, undead ones and voodoo zombies for example, not necessarily undead
zom·bie also zom·bi (zmb)
n. pl. zom·bies also zom·bis
1. A snake god of voodoo cults in West Africa, Haiti, and the southern United States.
2.
a. A supernatural power or spell that according to voodoo belief can enter into and reanimate a corpse.
b. A corpse revived in this way.
3. One who looks or behaves like an automaton.
4. A tall mixed drink made of various rums, liqueur, and fruit juice.
If you get upset about people calling 28 days later a zombie movie, you really need to reasses your life. Seriously.
Where does this leave the recently announced 28 Days Later comic?
28 Days Later was marketed as a zombie movie. I remember the commercials declaring it a daring new take on the zombie horror genre. It sucked, but it was a zombie movie.
"Evil_Flip
7:53pm, April 19, 2009 PROFILE - MESSAGE - REPORT
Kinda interesting that a movie without zombies still started this whole running zombies shit. Even Boyle said they weren't zombies "
RUNNING ZOMBIES started in 1985's Return of the Living Dead
don't mind if another of the 28 series comes out,better late than never.
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Rumors spread through the weekend that 20th Century Fox is set to discontinue Fox Atomic, the production label that was started by Peter Rice in 2007 to generate comedy and genre films.
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