Exclusives
Breck Eisner Talks Comic Adaptation ‘Blood of the Innocent’
In a chat with director Breck Eisner about the upcoming DVD/Blu-ray release of The Crazies, B-D got a little more info from him on his next project, an adaptation of the Mark Wheatley Dracula-meets-Jack the Ripper comic book Blood of the Innocent, which had a four-issue run in 1985. He learned about the obscure comic book series from management/production company Circle of Confusion, who brought Wheatley, Eisner and writer Bill Marsilii together to collaborate on the project. Read on for more.
“‘Blood of the Innocent’ is a pitch I developed with Bill Marsilii, it’s a project we’re just going out with now, and it’s just at pitch stage” said Eisner. “But we’re gonna set it up and Marsilii will write the draft, and it’s an idea I’m just obsessed with it, I love it. So for the next horror-ish movie, that would be the next one that I would do. But you know, I say horror-ish because I love to combine genres in movies. I think that `The Crazies’ had a bit of Frankenstonian genre combinations, I really enjoy that. So that will be horror, and it will also be action, and it will kind of mystery kind of all rolled up into one.”
Eisner spoke excitedly about the project, which will be his next horror-adjacent film after vacating ‘Creature from the Black Lagoon’ (which fell apart following the writer’s strike) and turning down an offer to direct Cronenberg remake ‘The Brood’ (“I decided that’s not the one for me,” said the director): “It’s a really interesting world…they brought Dracula and Jack the Ripper together into one space. It had some really great ideas in it that we really expanded on to make this awesome, really fantastic pitch.”
Eisner is hoping that the pitch, based off a 25-page outline put together by Eisner and Marsilii, will soon be set up at a studio, at which time Marsilii can begin work on the full-length screenplay: “I’ve been so busy with the other stuff I’m doing that I really need to get out and pitch it and get it set up. But I’m hoping that by the end of summer we’ll have a script.“
Exclusives
New Documentaries Explore the Cult Legacies of ‘The Keep’ and ‘Wolfen’; Watch the Trailers Now [Exclusive]
Undersung werewolf gem Wolfen and Michael Mann’s The Keep get the spotlight in a pair of feature documentaries acquired by Antenna Releasing.
A World War II Fairy Tale, which covers the infamous production of and reception to The Keep, will receive a limited theatrical release in October, followed by a TVOD release on Apple/Amazon. The Keep will also screen as a double feature for some showings.
For Uncovering Wolfen, Antenna eyes a limited theatrical release for 2027. Both films are currently available for booking via Antenna prior to their theatrical and digital releases.
Both documentaries are directed by Stewart Buck, who co-helms with Stéphane Piter on A World War II Fairy Tale.
“We at Antenna are obsessed with film history,” said Chief Acquisitions Officer Billy Ray Brewton. “Stewart has done such a remarkable job of really diving into the deepest recesses of how these films were made and, in doing so, has created the definitive histories of both projects.”
“We’re delighted to be partnering with Antenna Releasing!” said director Buck. “It’s refreshing to see a filmmaker-friendly approach to distribution with people who know what it’s like to be in the trenches with independent projects that struggle to find a home in the crowded marketplace.”
Check out our exclusive trailer and poster reveal of both documentaries below.
Released in 1983, Michael Mann’s The Keep was a notorious box office bomb, critically lambasted and all but forgotten for years, save for the fascination with Tangerine Dream’s iconic score. In recent years, the film has enjoyed a bit of a resurgence and is widely considered a cult classic, though director Michael Mann and many cast members refuse to acknowledge it.
Wolfen, on the other hand, was critical success but was overshadowed heavily by its flashier 1981 siblings An American Werewolf in London and The Howling. It’s also a trailblazer for socio-political horror, and the doc will explore that via the craftspeople who made it.
Look for them both in theaters soon. Stay tuned for more as it arrives.
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