HOLY HELL! BRIAN DEPALMA MIGHT HELM PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2

When it was announced that director Kevin Greutert was being forcefully removed from PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 by Lionsgate due to a contract clause on SAW VII, it seemed that PA2 was dead in the water. After all, Paramount had announced that this flick was going to be in theaters this Halloween and that’s less than nine months away. Who would take a gig like that? This is Hollywood, after all, and things take time there. Maybe if PA2 was some micro-budget indie, they could shoot in a couple of weekends and call it day. But in Hollywood, things take time. Or so it seems…

Turns out, Paramount is still eyeing the Halloween release date and they’ve came up with a short-list of potential directors for the gig: Brad Anderson (SESSION 9), Greg McLean (WOLF CREEK) and Brian DePalma. Yeah, you read that right, Brian DePalma is being considered to direct PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2. I don’t know if this is good sign or a sign that DePalma’s career is so far in the toilet that he’s being considered for a sequel to a micro-budget indie pic.

Straight up, DePalma is one of the major reasons I love the movies. Flicks like BLOW OUT, THE UNTOUCHABLES, DRESSED TO KILL and CARRIE literally changed my simple enjoyment of the cinema into a full-blown love affair. I wish that the time had been kinder to him and I wish that he had the pick of the litter when it came to projects, but that’s not really the case. That having been said, I think DePalma is a fantastic fucking choice for this pic and he’d literally bring down the house if given the right circumstances. DePalma dabbled in the “faux-documentary” genre a couple of years ago with REDACTED and I think that if allowed to do all-out with PA2 (meaning let him unleash his inner-Hitchcock by way of PA and maybe THE ENTITY), PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 could be something amazing. Granted, they need to keep it cheap (as to maintain the illusion), but I think the man could really bring this one home and make it a hit like the original.

But, if that don’t work and he doesn’t get the gig, both Anderson and McLean are fine choices. I’m glad to see Paramount actually picking some real directors for this and not just slapping it in the hands of some music-vid director wanting to be the next Michael Bay. Incidentally, Oscar-winning writer and creator of BATMAN AND ROBIN Akiva Goldsman was actually in the running for the PA2 gig. How crazy is that?

Source: LA Times