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Max Landis' 'Chronicle 2' Script Running into Development Conflict?

by Alex Billington
October 10, 2012
Source: The Playlist

Development trouble at 20th Century Fox? There is a report going around, originating from an interview with John Landis on The Playlist (via SlashFilm), that seems to indicate the in-development super-powers sequel Chronicle 2 might be running into some conflicts of interest. Filmmaker John Landis is the father of Max Landis, an up-and-coming talent credited on the Chronicle script with director Josh Trank, as well as The Death & Return of Superman. John was being interviewed at AMPAS by The Playlist and made a reference to his son's troubles at the studio to compare with his own struggles with projects he's working on.

After John Landis explained to them that his horror project ran into problems ("A French producer paid me to write a horror script I liked very much. He read it and said 'What the fuck is this?' He was shocked by it.") he proceeded to talk briefly about similar problems Max was having developing the Chronicle sequel at Fox.

Landis even went as far as to compare his plight with his son Max Landis, who is currently working on several gestating projects after his hit superhero flick “Chronicle” earlier this year. One of those project is "Chronicle 2" for Fox, which Landis says, "He wrote a sequel, and it's amazing, and the studio read it and said, 'We want ‘Chronicle' again!' And he said, 'No, this is the sequel, it's the evolution, and they said 'No, we want that movie again!' So it's difficult, we're dealing with a difficult business.

Indeed we are. Very interesting story about the early sequel development process, which of course all the movie bloggers are now picking up on. Especially because most people enjoyed Chronicle quite a bit, it was an outstanding and refreshingly original movie. My guess is that, after the way Chronicle ends, the next "evolution" as he mentions might be a global hysteria and follow-up in that context. That big showdown in Seattle got a lot of media coverage, which means everyone is going to know about it, and since Matt is the only one who made it out, everyone is going to be hunting him. Plus, there could be others with powers or more meteorites (or whatever it is). But maybe Fox just wants another self-contained found footage story?

As always, these kind of one-sided details are sensitive getting out early, but intriguing to hear nonetheless. Chronicle is one of my favorite films this year, so we'll keep our ears open for more updates on the sequel.

Filed under Development, Movie News, Rumors

From around the web:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7YGEVuJ4mM Carpola

So it was John Landis' kid that made Chronicle? Must have been hard scraping together all of the budget together for that indie-flick. I did like Chronicle though, would be interested to see part 2 also.
- conradthegreat
  
  Josh Trank directed Chronicle.....did you not read the article OR see the movie and pay attention to the credits? NOOB
  - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7YGEVuJ4mM Carpola
    
    I just make stuff up, reading is for idiots. Especially the credits, who reads them? I'm already out in the lobby buying £20 buckets of popcorn
- Lebowski
  
  Yes, John Landis, who hasn't directed a hit in over two decades, put up the entire budget of a 12 million dollar film distributed by Fox, despite not being listed in any of the credits. Also, what kind of crack are you smoking that allows you to classify Chronicle as an 'indie-flick'?
  - Greg dinskisk
    
    If it's a film that received less than 50% of its budget from a major studio, it's considered 'indie.' The Dark Knight is considered indie, technically.
  - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7YGEVuJ4mM Carpola
    
    C'mon dude, it was an indie. I find it ridiculous that a film that cost 12 million is an indie too, but that's just the way it is. I reckon old Landis has more than a bit of MJ money stashed away in some cupboards.
  - http://twitter.com/stalkbrandon Brandon V. Fletcher
    
    being Indie has nothing to do with dollar amount. Technically the Star Wars Prequels are indie films
    - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7YGEVuJ4mM Carpola
      
      They were so quirky.
- http://twitter.com/stalkbrandon Brandon V. Fletcher
  
  wrote not directed
Zade_92

It really bugs me that Studios think a sequel needs to be the same experience as the first movie, that's not a sequel that's a repeat! i mean look how Hangover two and taken two came out and theyre still making another one? its beyond me, but i love what Landis had to say about his script, "It is a sequel, It's an evolution." that's a true sequel to me and more movies need to have sequels that evolve the world that the first film estabished.
Grichmer

Should we expect anything less from Fox? They're well known for killing creativity and running franchises into the ground for the sake of money.
castingcouch

Fox are assholes. Stick to your guns, Max.
http://www.facebook.com/tenaciousdrew Andrew Kyle Dickens

What I'm curious about is what exactly that crystalline object was (as well as its origin), what exactly happened during and after the whole hole incident (and why it literally got covered up), how the telekinetic powers work (via mind, body, spirit/soul, etc.) and, when it comes to theme and what many of us have wondered for some time now, how the mind works... what exactly it is that defines and divides right from wrong... how different perspectives depend on different perceptions and a multitude of other things... and all that philosophical awesomeness. Bottom line, let the creators/writers/directors of the film work with *their own* ideas, and don't let the money-hungry, idea-butchering Studio have its way. Compromise is sometimes okay, but a great idea shouldn't be bought easily, or slaughtered if bought. LET IT EVOLVE. LET US ALL EVOLVE. And that's all I have to say about that. Thank you. Desperately awaiting Chronicle 2.
- http://www.facebook.com/duke.mills Duke Mills
  
  What I was thinking was that Max Landis could make it into a videogame. If all else fails a videogame gives Max complete power over the script and the cast and a videogame can still be a very cinematic experience in this day with today's gaming technology.
Bill Watson

That is literally my least favorite thing about sequels. why do the same movie twice? Don't they get how dumb that is?
http://www.facebook.com/duke.mills Duke Mills

I really have to say that Fox has ruined far more than one movie series by trying to take too much control over it and not leaving the directors to their own mechanisms. Fox has also cancelled a lot of great shows in the past like Firefly leaving a lot of their viewers very angry. Not to mention they have the worst news station out there. They need to just leave Max Landis be the brains of the operation and stop ruining everything they set their hands on.