Caffeinated Clint
One of the big surprises of last year, if you ask me anyway, was Alex Aja’s “Piranaha 3D”. Based on a script by Josh Stolberg and featuring a truly eclectic cast of dissimilars (like Elisabeth Shue, Ving Rhames, Kelly Brook and Adam Scott), the very loose reboot of the old Roger Corman flick could’ve been an hour-and-a-half of jiggles and junk with some half-cocked (actually, there was a half cock now I recall…) plot about killer fish thrown in, but instead, Aja’s flick was quite simply a good time (particularly at cinemas) that made surprisingly good use of not only corn syrup but this 3D trick (that filmmakers are hellbent on dousing their Kodak in at the moment). Having said that, the film had sold me at the mere mention of Brook boobs, biting fish and a Richard Dreyfuss (as Matt Hooper without actually being called Matt Hooper) cameo so scratch the testimony…
The sequel was pretty much rushed into production as soon as the first flick exited the red. John Gulager was hired to direct with Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan on scripting duties. A release date of September 16, 2011 was announced.
Last week it was announced that “Piranha 3DD” (geddit? DD?) had been pushed back from September to November 23 – but with no explanation as to why?
I can now tell you why you’re going to have to wait two extra months for “Piranha 3DD”, and it’s for good reason. Joel Soisson, the genre vet who has worked on everything from “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” to “The Prophecy” and “Feast” (with Gulager, Dunstan and Melton) has been brought on board to not only produce “Piranha 3DD” but rewrite the script by Dunstan and Melton. Soisson wrote much of the good stuff in “Highlander: Endgame” and with Patrick Lussier penned the terrific sequels to “Dracula 2000”, so the man’s definitely adorning not only his horror but sequel (he’s been involved with many, many sequels) stripes. But mostly, Soisson likely knows his way around a 3D movie. Though he hasn’t been involved with one directly, the filmmaker’s surely spent enough time studying and observing his frequent collaborator and friend Patrick Lussier, director of ‘’Drive Angry 3D’’ and ‘’My Bloody Valentine 3D’’, to know how to utilize and make the best use of the technology. So yes, Soisson’s knowledge of 3D is the reason he was brought onboard the project and not because the “Piranha 3DD” needed a lot of work; the Weinstein’s simply want the film’s 3D sequences to play as effectively as the last one – as they would.
As for the rumours – started on IMDB – that everyone from Tara Reid to Todd Bridges is involved in the film? BS; the film hasn’t even started casting yet. The supposed storyline that’s also up on IMDB for the film is also completely false.
Soisson’s most recent credits include Dimension’s “Children of the Corn : The Dweller”, which he wrote, produced and directed; the Brent Triplett directed cartoon western “Toonstone” – which looks a blast!; and “Hellraiser Revelations”, the newest in the Pinhead jaunts. He’s also attached to produce the 3D Zombie actioner “Condition Dead 3D” which, ya know, I can justly vouch for as one of the coolest scripts out there.
“Piranha 3DD” is going to titillate and terrify in November.
So tell us, what would you like to see in the “Piranha” sequel? Is there anything that hasn’t been done that should be? Heck, how about the film opens with a wet-suited Thomas Jane trying to spear super-intelligent sharks only to be greeted from behind by Piranha!? Or maybe the flick opens with a Piranha busting through Charlie Sheen’s chest and thus, a ‘Winner’ T-Shirt?
