Lionsgate and Broken Road Productions have decided to go head-to-head(-to-head… but we’ll get to that in a second) by attaching themselves to two separate films entitled, CADAVER. Lionsgate has attached themselves to the project already being produced by Pantelion, while Broken Road takes the solo producing reins on their project.
In conjunction with last year’s spec sale of “Autopsy” to Impostor Pictures and 42 Productions, that makes three horror features currently being developed around the same concept of “a dead body shows up and scary things start to happen.”
Let’s take a closer look at each project and see who we think comes out ahead.
Round 1
Loglines:
“Autopsy”
- In a small-town family-owned mortuary, father and son coroners receive a mysterious homicide victim: a beautiful young “Jane Doe.” As they attempt to figure out how she died and who she is, they discover increasingly bizarre clues, which hold the key to terrifying secrets.
“Cadaver” (Broken Road)
- A morgue intake assistant pursues a cadaver that kills humans in the hopes of bringing herself back to life.
“Cadaver” (Lionsgate)
- A medical student who, after being assigned a cadaver in her anatomy class, is drawn into the cadaver’s past life where she uncovers its dark family secret and unleashes a deadly, evil spirit into the world of the living.
This round goes to “Autopsy.” That is a very dynamic logline that gives me enough to get me interested, but still leaves plenty to think about and questions to ponder. The others I find a bit too generic and they don’t really spark the imagination quite as much.
Round 2
Writers:
“Autopsy”
- Ian Goldberg & Richard Naing. Goldberg writes a lot of television, having worked on “Once Upon a Time,” “Flash Forward,” and “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” while Naing will be making his feature debut with this script. Although these shows are fun and action packed, none really have that horror element I am looking for. However, this script made the 2013 The Hit List.
“Cadaver” (Broken Road)
- Brian Sieve. Sieve has had his horror foot in the door for a few years now, having written both of the “Boogeyman” sequels. He currently has thrillers “Revelation,” and “The Exchange,” in the works in addition to the horror script “Exorcism at Lincoln High.”
“Cadaver” (Lionsgate)
- Drew Daywalt & Steven Johnson. Daywalt has a strange mix of drama, horror and comedies in his past, ranging from “Stark Raving Mad” to “Address Unknown” while this is Johnson’s first foray into screenwriting.
Round 2 goes to Broken Road’s “Cadaver.” This is not so much because of the “Boogeyman” sequels, but because of Sieve’s upcoming projects that are currently in development. These are all projects that have recently gotten a lot of attention in the industry, and there has to be a good reason why.
Round 3
Production Company/Studio:
“Autopsy”
- Impostor Pictures and 42 Productions. This will be Impostor Pictures first go at a feature film after its inception, and although the company’s partners (Fred Berger and Eric Garcia) have many fine credits on their CV, none really tap into the horror genre that should be present for this project. 42 has a bigger past in Action/Thrillers than anything else, but they are getting ready to release “Monsters: The Dark Continent” which, although not a horror film, could really show off what the company is capable of.
“Cadaver” (Broken Road)
- Broken Road Productions. Broken Road has more comedies under its belt than anything else, such as “Here Comes the Boom,” “Jack and Jill,” and “Are We Done Yet?” They are also currently working on “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2” and “Scouts vs. Zombies.” Although the latter has horror elements, it is still going to be a comedy, and I don’t know what this production company has to offer in the horror genre, as we have never really seen them attempt it before.
“Cadaver” (Lionsgate)
- Pantelion and Lionsgate. Pantelion has mostly comedies in its past, but does have “The Mexorcist” in active production (and that is a straight up supernatural/horror… really, it is). But where this “Cadaver” really has the advantage is “Lionsgate” which has a history of interesting horror films such as “Ginger Snaps,” “Frailty,” “Cube 2,” “Godsend,” and “Open Water” just to name a few (and yes, “Open Water” I’m counting as horror because I did not get in the ocean for like a year after seeing that film).
Round 3 goes to Lionsgate’s “Cadaver” strickly because of their rich history within the horror genre.
Round 4
Title:
This may seem like an unfair category, due to the fact that two of the three projects share a title, but in reality “Cadaver” will only be the second and third films to be produced with that title, where “Autopsy” will be number four for projects with shared titles.
Therefore, this round is a bust, and due to lack of originality on everyone’s part, no points shall be awarded.
Final Round
Director:
“Autopsy”
- André Øvredal. Øvredal wrote and directed the Norwegian film “Troll Hunter,” which I absolutely loved. “Autopsy” will be his first go into American film making and I am looking forward to seeing what he can do, especially with Martin Sheen attached to play the father.
“Cadaver” (Broken Road)
- ODA.
“Cadaver” (Lionsgate)
- ODA.
Due to the fact that neither of the “Cadaver” scripts currently have directors, “Autopsy” wins the final round.
Winner
“Autopsy” is declared the winner of the “which dead-body killing people script sounds cooler contest.” This of course can be revisited should Lionsgate and Broken Road attach a director any time soon.
In all likelihood we will be seeing “Autopsy” on screen before either of the “Cadaver(s)” as it is already in pre-production. But this is Hollywood and you never know what will happen. No matter how this plays out however, one thing I know is that Coroners are going to have some rough nights ahead of them in the years to come.
We’ll keep you posted as any or all of these projects progress.
—TO SEE ALL THE PROJECT DETAILS CLICK HERE—(Lionsgate)
tracking-board.com/cadaver-broken-roadsales/"Ž">—TO SEE ALL THE PROJECT DETAILS CLICK HERE—(Broken Road)
—TO SEE ALL THE PROJECT DETAILS CLICK HERE—(Autopsy)
