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Bekmambetov is Directing 'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter'

by Ethan Anderton
August 9, 2010
Source: Empire

Although I wasn't thoroughly impressed with Wanted, my excitement for any future projects from director Timur Bekmambetov (of Night Watch, Day Watch as well) certainly hasn't waned. As a matter of fact a new bit of news has just turned it up to 11 as Empire spoke with the filmmaker who revealed that in addition to sharing producing duties with Tim Burton, Bekmambetov will also direct Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. On top of that, the director also shared some information on Wanted 2, a forthcoming 3D project called Red Asphalt; another 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and a very odd new take on Moby Dick.

Previously, adapted from Seth Grahame-Smith's novel, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter reveals that the 16th president's mother was killed by a supernatural creature, which fueled his passion to kill vampires and their slave-owning helpers. Timur talks about the tone of the film and even the potential for more sequels:

"That one I'm prepping to direct myself. It is not a comedy at all – it is a very entertaining, epic history lesson for millions and millions of teenagers. If you remember Nightwatch, it is maybe in the vein of that kind of movie. We are keeping the traditional look of Lincoln – the big hat and the beard. He has to be historically correct, but with a few special weapons. There is only one book, but there will be many opportunities to develop and explore this world if we get to do sequels. I hope we will start this winter. We are shooting in America."

Surely it will have a certain amount of dark comedy surrounding it, but he's certainly not going for Shaun of the Dead or anything like that. Interestingly enough, the film is currently being developed without a studio, so that gives him plenty of freedom to make the movies exactly how he wants it (hopefully to a better result). Some of his other projects don't seem to be sharing the same amount of rapid development though, but here are a few more brief updates on additional projects that Timur Bekmambetov currently has his hands in:

Wanted 2: Though there's been buzz about Angelina Jolie's departure from the franchise and a potential replacement in Kristen Stewart, it sounds like development is moving a little slower. Timur says, "We are discussing Wanted 2 every month. We are working on it now, but I think it will be after... because James (McAvoy) is working on the X-Men: First Class. It's why I decided to develop [Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter] without a studio, to keep control. It's a big movie but independent too." The less studio hands in the cookie jar, the better it will be, I think.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Somehow we missed reporting on this in May, but Timur is working on an adaptation of 20,000 Leauges Under the Sea (which is completely separate from David Fincher's version at Disney). Here's what he had to say about that project: "Yes, it is happening. We are in development with a writer and Ridley Scott's people. It's early in development. I would like to direct myself – it's a great tale that I love from my childhood. It will be a modernised version of the famous book."

Moby Dick: In addition, yet another take on a literary classic found itself in Timur's hands back in 2008 and it's still very much in the cards. Timur explains: "I've developed the whole world, but we're still working on the script. To fight a supernatural creature, you need people with supernatural abilities. It's the same story but with a different take, much more mystical. The whalers are not ordinary people, and yes, the whale will be done digitally." Very interesting things he mentions.

Red Asphalt: Anyone who has taken a driver's education course should immediately be having flashbacks or at least ideas of where this project is going. Seemingly inspired by the precautionary drunk driving video series shown to driver's ed classes, it's exactly what you would expect from the title. Timur reveals" "I am working on that with Lionsgate. It's a movie about drunk driving in 3D! 3D is the only way to recreate what you feel when you drink and drive. It's my original idea – I wrote the treatment. Everyone drinks and drives once, and I want to make a horror movie about it. It's one big car chase. People will feel what it's like when you're drunk and driving, and it's really scary. The world is not exactly the same." Now it's only a matter of time before 3D and driver's education come together to teach lessons rather than entertain.

Those are all the latest significant updates straight from Timur Bekmambetov (via Empire), who has some really exciting ideas and projects coming up in his future. And it's all just a matter of time before we get to see them! There's some not-so-informational updates on more of his projects like The Knights Templar and The Last Witchhunter over at Empire, so if you want to check out their full interview with Bekmambetov you can head on over there. In the meantime, we'll keep you posted on all of these upcoming projects and more from Timur Bekmambetov as the news arrives. Which of these projects sound the most interesting?

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