The Happening

[MacGuffin]

Fox lands Shyamalan movie
Studio greenlights thriller 'Happening'
Source: Variety

M. Night Shyamalan's next film will be a happening at 20th Century Fox.

Studio has pledged a green light for "The Happening," a spec script thriller that Shyamalan wrote and will direct in Philadelphia this August. Fox has earmarked the film for a June, 2008 release.

The Fox deal, which was spearheaded by Fox Filmed Entertainment chairman/CEO Tom Rothman, ends an unusually complex and public process for Shyamalan, who, since "The Sixth Sense," had made all his films for Disney. That was until a falling out over "Lady in the Water" which led him to make that picture for Warner Bros.

Shyamalan will produce with Sam Mercer. He also reunites with "Munich" producer Barry Mendel, who produced the Shyamalan-directed "The Sixth Sense" and "Unbreakable."

Pic, which will mark Shyamalan's first R-rated effort, is a paranoid thriller about a family on the run from a natural crisis that presents a large-scale threat to humanity. The pic is expected to carry a budget of around $57 million, and Shyamalan told Daily Variety he expects to cast a big male star for the lead.

Shyamalan will prep and shoot "The Happening" as he continues to write the script for "Avatar: The Last Airbender." Shyamalan will follow with that live action film for Paramount.

When he visited Hollywood to seal his "Avatar" deal, Shyamalan and his new CAA reps met with execs atop almost every studio. Each read an early draft of "The Happening," which at the time was titled "The Green Effect." The buzz around Hollywood was that no studio loved the draft enough to make a deal.

Shyamalan said he wasn't at all bothered by that. Though he didn't return to Philadelphia with a deal, he got strong notes and observations from several top studio execs like Rothman that helped him hone his vision.

Shyamalan, who by then reunited with Mendel, then rewrote the film.

By the time he was done six weeks later, several studios offered to green light it, Shyamalan said. He landed at Fox partly because of Rothman's enthusiasm, and also, he said, because the studio has demonstrated acumen in marketing similar apocalyptic fare like "Independence Day" and "The Day After Tomorrow."

"Because I'd been so lucky in making successful movies in the past, I was in monogamous relationships with a few studios and the isolation meant I'd never really met anybody," Shyamalan said. "Instead of me just being a name, I was a guy in a room. The thing that's different about me is, when I go out with a script, I am looking for a green light, not some deal where they will develop for two years and then maybe make it."One palpable change in the film, Shyamalan said, was the decision to dial up the scare factor, thus inviting the R rating.

Rothman also craved an edgier version, which made Fox enticing to the director.

"Tom felt strongly about making this my first R-rated picture," Shyamalan said. "We talked about trying to get the kind of intensity that is present in 'Silence of the Lambs,' and the kind that Guillermo del Toro got in `Pan's Labyrinth.' The impact of the beautiful things in that movie wouldn't have landed as strongly if the film had not been R rated."

The failure of "Lady in the Water," and a making-of book that detailed Disney's rejection of the project, gave the impression that Shyamalan was not changeable. His decision to broaden his studio relationships was a step toward dispelling that.

"That is a misconception, and people who work with me know that I'm collaborative," Shyamalan said. "If you can give me a good idea that can help me to make a better movie, then there is no ego issue in taking that advice. Ultimately, this was a very positive process, and one that will ultimately help in making this movie the best it can be."

The deal gives Fox another piece for summer, 2008. The studio has so far earmarked the Eddie Murphy-starrer "Starship Dave" for a likely May 30 release.

[polkablues]

"Because I'd been so lucky in making successful movies in the past, I was in monogamous relationships with a few studios and the isolation meant I'd never really met anybody," Shyamalan said.

Here's the problem with Shyamalan the writer, in a nutshell: he can say something like this and not realize how hilariously ironic it is.  This is exactly how someone writes a movie about people called "Narfs" and expects everyone to take it seriously.  At least if it was Joe Carnahan I would know that he got the joke.

[Ravi]

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117961127.html?categoryid=13&cs=1

UTV to co-produce Shyamalan film
Co. joins Fox on 'Happening'
By PATRICK FRATER

HONG KONG -- Indian movie and TV conglom UTV Motion Pictures has announced that it will co-produce M. Night Shyamalan's upcoming thriller "The Happening" with 20th Century Fox.

Pic was greenlit earlier this month by 20th Century Fox.

Company confirmed that pic will have a $57 million budget and said that "UTV and Fox will co-produce and enjoy global revenues in all media in perpetuity, equally."

"Night is an immensely talented writer–director. We have developed a great chemistry ever since our first conversation about two months back and I am really glad things moved fast to allow us to work together," Ronnie Screwvala, UTV prexy, said. "Ever since his 'Sixth Sense,' I have followed and admired his work. With 20th Century Fox, the No. 1 Movie Studio in the world and the reputation of having the best marketing and distribution set up in the U.S. and worldwide on board with us, this Sci-Fi thriller is going to get the best worldwide release."

Arrival of company from Shaymalan's country of birth does not change existing plans to lense "Happening" principally in Philadelphia – where he spent most of his childhood. UTV confirmed that pic is skedded for release by Fox in June or July 2008.

UTV, which co-produced Mira Nair's "The Namesake" released last week in North American cinemas, has relationships with three Hollywood majors, Fox, Disney and Sony.

[MacGuffin]

Wahlberg to star in 'Happening'
Actor cast in new Shyamalan thriller
Source: Variety

Mark Wahlberg has been set to star in "The Happening," the thriller that M. Night Shyamalan will direct in August in Philadelphia.

Shyamalan set a spec deal for the spooky apocalyptic pic at the studio earlier this month.

Wahlberg will play a man who takes his family on the run when the world turns upside and a cataclysmic natural crisis threatens to end the world.

When he made the deal, Shyamalan brought back his "Unbreakable" and "Sixth Sense" producer Barry Mendel to produce with Sam Mercer, and also brought with him a co-financier in India-based UTV. UTV topper Ronnie Screwvala committed 50% of the film's $60 million budget, with Fox distributing worldwide except in India. It is the third recent film that UTV has co-financed at the studio, after the Mira Nair-directed "The Namesake," and the Chris Rock starrer "I Think I Love My Wife," both of which were distributed by Fox Searchlight.

Studio confirmed both Wahlberg and the date.

Twentieth Century Fox has carved out plans to release the film worldwide on Friday, June 13, 2008.

"Friday the 13th has very distinctive, global connotations, which make it the ideal launching pad for this frightening thriller," 20th domestic distribution president Bruce Snyder said in a statement.

At the time that Shyamalan made his deal with Fox, he'd already been making inroads to get Wahlberg aboard the film.

The actor, who just opened in "Shooter," is also getting in the ring with Matt Damon and director Darren Aronofsky on the Paramount film "The Fighter."

"Mark has a unique blend of charisma, humanity, authenticity and skillfulness as an actor," Shyamalan said. "All of which coalesced at this moment in his career, making him the perfect person to take on the role of Eliot Moore, the science teacher at the center of this event."

[matt35mm]

"The Happening" is such a terrible title.

[Pozer]

"The Hackening"

[matt35mm]

I don't get it.

[Ravi]

I hope the trailer features a shot of someone whispering, "it's happening."

[Pozer]

I don't get it.

me neither.  double u tee eff?

[Pubrick]

the twist is that it never happened.

[RegularKarate]

the twist is that it never happened.

HA!

I wish the twist was that his last three movies never happened.

[Ravi]

The Twist-endening

[MacGuffin]

Deschanel to star in 'Happening'
Actress joins Wahlberg in Shyamalan film
Source: Variety

Zooey Deschanel has inked to star with Mark Wahlberg in M. Night Shyamalan's 20th Century Fox thriller "The Happening." Helmer's "Unbreakable" and "Sixth Sense" producer Barry Mendel will produce with Sam Mercer.

Pic tells the story of a man who takes his family on the run when an apocalyptical natural crisis threatens to end civilization; lensing starts in August in Philadelphia.

Deschanel's credits include the upcoming "Surf's Up," "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" with Brad Pitt, "Bridge to Terabithia," and "Failure to Launch." Thesp comes form a show biz family; father is cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, mother is actress Mary Jo Deschanel, as is sister Emily.

[Kal]

This is another douchebag like Tarantino... who the fuck keeps greenlighting his projects... I read about all these idiots and all of the sudden Ratner doesnt seem so bad.















Wait, I take that back.

[polkablues]

mother is actress Mary Jo Deschanel, as is sister Emily.

"She my sister and my mother!"

More evidence for my hypothesis that Variety is edited by dyslexic baboons.