‘The Machinist’ Director Brad Anderson Taking Over ‘The Hive’ From Joel Schumacher
Joel Schumacher’s career continues to stutter. His 2009Blood Creekwas dumped to dollar theaters and DVD; his filmTwelvewas called one of the worst in 2010 and barely saw release. His latest movie,Trespass, with Nicholas Cage and Nicole Kidman, hit a very few theaters and is already available to stream on Netflix.
And now Schumacher has been replaced on a film calledThe Hive. The new director — who steps in for reasons that aren’t clear — isBrad Anderson, known forSession 9,The Machinist, episodes ofThe Wire,FringeandBoardwalk Empireand, most recently, the filmVanishing on 7th Street.
Varietysays the film is “set against the backdrop of a 911 emergency center, fast-paced suspense pic follows a 911 operator who must face her own fears to save a teenage girl from a serial killer.” (Makes me think a bit of the Canadian thrillerPontypool, which was based in radio rather than a call center, but the closed-off environment is close enough.)Rich D’Ovidiowrote the film, and the picture still has to be cast. Halle Berry was once attached, but fell away.
Anderson’s press release quote highlights part of what we can expect from the film:
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.
The strong female character(s) is certainly a positive aspect, and we’ll hope that attracts a couple of good people to the part. I’m pretty much past the point of figuring that Anderson will ever break out of the middle ground he’s occupied for so long, but let’s see who he ropes in for this one before getting too blase about it.
