Heavy Metal

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Paramount puts pedal to 'Metal'
Fincher tests 'Heavy'
Source: Variety

Paramount Pictures will make an animated film inspired by the '70s sci-fi fantasy magazine Heavy Metal, with director David Fincher spearheading the project.

"Heavy Metal" will be stamped by the erotic and violent storylines and images that remain the trademark of a magazine that debuted in the U.S. in 1977. The mag introduced the works of American artists and writers such as Robert Silverberg, Harlan Ellison and H.R. Giger.

The film will consist of eight or nine individual animated segments, each of which will be directed by a different helmer.

Fincher will direct one of the segments; Kevin Eastman, the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" co-creator who is now owner and publisher of Heavy Metal, will direct another. So will Tim Miller, whose Blur Studios will handle the animation for what is being conceived as an R-rated, adult-themed feature.

Fincher, Eastman and Miller will produce the film. The studio will lock in the other directors shortly. The mag previously spawned a 1981 animated feature and 2000 sequel.

Fincher, who directed "Zodiac" for Par, recently wrapped the Brad Pitt-Cate Blanchett starrer "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," which Par releases Dec. 19. Fincher recently became attached to direct Paramount's adaptation of the Charles Burns graphic novel "Black Hole" and is also developing "Torso" and "The Killer" for the studio.

Miller is writing, directing and producing a feature-length version of "Rockfish." Blur has also been responsible for animating such videogames as "Transformers: The Game," based on the hit pic from DreamWorks and Paramount.

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David Fincher's 'Heavy Metal' remake a no-go at Paramount
Source: Entertainment Weekly

Not even a bigshot like David Fincher could keep Heavy Metal at Paramount. The Zodiac director, who is currently putting the finishing touches on his highly-anticipated Brad Pitt movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, has been spearheading an edgy remake of the 1981 R-rated animated flick inspired by the 1970s fantasy magazine of the same name. But Tim Miller, whose Blur Studio is handling the animation, says he and Fincher, along with current Heavy Metal publisher Kevin Eastman, are now shopping the film to other studios because Paramount's new production execs felt the movie was too risque for mainstream audiences. The project is an amaglam of erotic and violent storylines penned by well-known sci-fi scribes like Steve Niles (30 Days of Night), Joe Haldeman (The Forever War), and Neal Asher (Gridlinked). The concept is to use eight to 10 of these shorts in a single movie with each segment helmed by a different director (Fincher is on deck to direct one). Though things are on hold until another studio picks it up, Miller is confident the film will eventually see the light of day. "David really believes in the project. It's just a matter of time," Miller says.

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Rob Zombie Approached for Heavy Metal
Source: ShockTillYouDrop

Still down on the set of Rob Zombie's H2, and while talking to long-time Zombie producer Andy Gould, we learned Zombie was approached by David Fincher and Kevin Eastman to direct a segment of their proposed revival of the animated anthology Heavy Metal, doing "something that could fuse his story with his music." Having some experience in animation with the still-unreleased The Haunted World of El Superbeasto and directing a segment in MTV's "Beavis and Butthead" film, Zombie was interested, but hasn't heard anything since first being approached.

Our last update on the project came last September when it was reported that Sony had picked up the Fincher and Eastman project after Paramount decided not to make the movie.

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'Heavy Metal' Gets Heavier with Fincher, Cameron, and Verbinski
Source: Cinematical

Film School Rejects is reporting that Kevin Eastman, co-creator of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, has spilled some major beans on the remake of Heavy Metal, the totally over-the-top 1981 sci-fi flick full of boobies, violence, and, some might say, awesomeness.

Eastman wrote Heavy Metal 2000, which stars former Penthouse Pet Julie Strain, who is also, incidentally, Eastman's ex-wife. She also voiced Heavy Metal 2000 and starred in the Heavy Metal F.A.K.K.2 video game. Eastman told FSR,

"I've got breaking news that Fincher and James Cameron are going to be co-executive Producers on the film. Fincher will direct one. Cameron will direct one. Zack Snyder is going to direct one and Gore Verbinski is going to. Mark Osborne and Jack Black from Tenacious D are going to do a comedy segment for the film. Three other directors have agreed but we haven't signed them, but they're equally as jaw-dropping. So we're on cloud nine to be working with such an amazing amount of talent."

[Stefen]

lol, yeah, right.

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Fincher Brings Mettle To Passion Project
By MIKE FLEMING; Deadline Hollywood
 
EXCLUSIVE: David Fincher is trying again with Heavy Metal, the animated anthology film he set up two years ago at Paramount, only to see the studio drop the project.

Fincher's shopping a version I would call vastly more appealing. I'm told that Fincher has Avatar director James Cameron ready to direct a segment, as well as 300 director Zack Snyder. Fincher is directing one himself. And, oh yeah, the whole thing will be 3-D animation.

Heavy Metal is inspired by the `70s science fiction fantasy magazine., which previously was the basis for a 1981 film and a 2000 sequel. This version will consist of eight or nine individual animated segments, each by a different director, all of them infused with the spirit of the erotic and violent storylines that defined the magazine. In its Paramount incarnation, Fincher had Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator and Heavy Metal magazine publisher Kevin Eastman ready to direct a segment, as well as Tim Miller, who runs Blur Studios, the enterprise that was set to handle the animation. Not sure if they're still doing segs.

I'll drop in other directors and details as I get them. The project is in search of a financier and distributor. Anthologies usually appeal to a limited audience, but this sounds like one that will be a strong draw to the fanboy audience that loves Sin City. Like that film, this will deserve its R rating.

It is the second anthology film I've written about in two days, following the Relativity Media comedy that has 17 directors filming segments for a film styled after `70s cult classics Kentucky Fried Movie and The Groove Tube. I was remiss in not noting the number of writers on the picture. There are 14 of them. Can't wait to sit through the credit roll at the end of the film.