Caffeinated Clint
Joel Schumacher has been buzzed out of “The Hive”, the intriguing-sounding serial-killer thriller that just might’ve seen the fallen great playing boss on a promising movie for once. For reasons unknown, the “Trespass” and “Flatliners” director has been replaced by “Machinist” helmer Brad Anderson, according to Variety.
Some would argue that Anderson, who also directed episodes of TV’s “The Killing”, is the better director but also someone whose already proven he’s a knack for bringing home smart, stylish dark thrillers; might that suggest that the investors and/or producers muscled Schumacher out in favour of someone they were more confident could make a decent movie?
“The Hive”, which also recently lost Halle Berry (who had long been attached to play the lead), tells of a 911 operator who has to stop a serial killer from claiming another life.
Producers Michael Helfant and Robert Stein of Troika say they’re “thrilled to have Brad directing The Hive. He shares our passion and excitement for this edge-of-the-seat thriller. The Hive is exactly the kind of film we set out to make when we formed Troika Pictures with our financiers.”
“I’m extremely excited about working with Troika on The Hive”, added Anderson. “This script has two elements I always look for in a thriller — strong, believable female characters and a smart, very dark and very creepy story that will definitely resonate with large audiences.”
Schumacher, meantime, is attached to direct a movie about a woman lost in the city overnight, after she’s robbed, called “1:30 Train”; he’s also penciled in to direct a telemovie based on Susanna Moore’s “Big Girls”.
Who else thinks Schumacher, considering his queasy line-up of recent duds (“Twelve”, “Trespass”, “Blood Creek” etc), was replaced on “The Hive”?
