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Piranha Remake Update from Alexandre Aja

by Alex Billington
April 18, 2008
Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com

When we first announced last year that Alexandre Aja would be remaking Joe Dante's 1978 classic monster movie Piranha, the reaction was a big negative. Now a year later it seems things may be looking on the bright side. Not only is the film going to be entirely live-action 3D, but The Weinstein Company is aiming for a big summer release - something they only do when they're quite confident. STYD spoke with Aja this week and got a few new details out of him, including how different from the original it will be.

First things first - 3D? Are you serious? It was actually announced previously that they'd be doing the entire thing in 3D, which seems like an odd choice for a horror movie remake, but not to Aja.

"That was the really exciting reason we jumped on that movie," Aja tells ShockTillYouDrop.com. "We were on the set of P2 and we were like, 'How cool would it be to see that live-action movie in 3-D?' We are thinking at the same time, let's see a real R-rated movie in 3-D with the new technology! So, Piranha is going to be completely in 3-D."

Also announced previously was a new release date for the film - July 24th, 2009. The Weinstein's typically only schedule films to hit during the summer if they believe in their potential. Aja continues: "I think it's a good choice and the fact that they're putting it in that spot is also showing they really believe in a blockbuster movie. That's what the script is like. It's a blueprint of a roller coaster. It's about fun, jumps, gore and fish..." And even 3D boobs. Aja's screenwriter on Mirrors, Grégory Levasseur, who was also in the interview, included that tidbit and Aja confirmed, "Yes, 3-D boobs."

As for the plot, besides the basics, no one is revealing what exactly it will be about yet. All we know is it's different than the original 1978 film and James Cameron's 1981 follow-up Piranha Part Two: The Spawning. The updated story is supposed to take place at Lake Havasu, Arizona, a favorite destination for partying spring breakers. When a tremor causes the ground to open up beneath the lake, chaos and terror break out as ravenous piranhas are released.

"That was the plot of the script and that was really fun," Aja enthuses. "Years later the script came back in a different incarnation, so we convinced Bob Weinstein to take the Spring Break plot and let us do what we wanted to do with it. There is not one character or one situation that is similar to the Joe Dante or James Cameron [Piranha] movies - it's completely, completely, completely different."

Aja's enthusiasm, and of course the mention of 3D boobs and 3D man-eating fish, has me excited for this remake. I'm not normally a big 3D fan, but something about this project makes me feel like I'll get a kick out of it. Aja's previous horror credits include directing the 2006 Hills Have Eyes remake as well as the French horror film High Tension. At the moment Aja is actually working on Mirrors, another horror film, and will move on to shoot Piranha for release next summer. I can't wait to see the first 3D teaser trailer - I'm sure there will be freaky fish galore!

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