Studio:
United Artists.
Production Company:
Unknown.
Project Phase: In the Can.
Who's In It:
Amy Irving (Sue Snell); Jason London; Emily Bergle (Rachel); Dylan Bruno.
Who's Making It:
Katt Shea (Director?); Rafael Moreu, Howard Rodman (Screenwriters);
Paul Monash (Producer); based on characters created by Stephen King from his novel, Carrie.
Premise: A young woman with a secret is picked on by her classmates. Only the school's guidance counsellor recognizes the preternatural abilities the young woman is starting to manifest...and realizes what can happen if she deicdes to fight back.
Release Date: July 1999 (unconfirmed).
Comments: Obviously it's the sequel to the 1976 film directed by Brian DePalma. You remember that one, right? The one where Carrie White DIED at the end of the picture? So the main question we have here is this: is this nothing more than a quick cash-grab based upon the reputation of a classic horror film?? We hope not, but we fear the worst.
'Widgett', one of CA's loveable content writers, had this to say about the project. "This is not going to be the long-awaited movie adaptation of the Broadway musical, which had a run of three days." We can sense the cloud of confusion lifting already...
Rumors: Unknown.
Scoop Feedback:
March 26, 1998... [Page draft telekinetically entered by 'Widgett'. Hey man, is that pig's blood you're covered in or what??]
The really crazy thing we heard was from 'VanWinkle', who told us about this project in early February, a week or so before the project was announced. They said none other than Barry Levinson was interested in directing the film. Barry Le-vin-son. No, really, that's what they said. Besides utterly not believing this fellow that there'd even be a sequel to Carrie ever considered, we figured Levinson wouldn't be remotely interested in directing it, should one ever occur.
A week later, Carrie 2 gets announced. It's also around this time we hear that Hell has just aquired a NHL expansion team franchise for it's brand-new skating rink. ['VanWinkle', you gave us a bad case of the heebie-jeebies.]
The Charlotte Convention Center in North Carolina is going to be home to part of the filming. Apparently a two-story house will be built inside and then later burned down. Now there's something we wouldn't expect to see in a sequel to the original film. [Thanks to 'ArcLight'.]
'Mongo' is one of our readers who's interested in learning what's going on with this one. He knows that director Robert Mandel helmed FX (the movie, that is) and the original The X-Files pilot ("Maybe they should add an X to the Carrie title for good mojo," is what 'Mongo' offered as advise to anyone from UA reading this page.) 'Rumors are a script is just now making the casting rounds. Heard that it's supposedly awesome," the scooper finishes off with. Anyone read it yet? [Thanks to 'Mongo', who we're sure doesn't have a 'fro like William Katt had in the first picture.]
One of our anonymous tipsters heard MGM moved up production to avoid the potentional actor's strike, while someone else whispered that casting was already completed in Wilmington, NC in early March '98. "Not casting 'mega-stars', obviously," they shocked us by saying. [Anonymous.]
Mandel also directed The Substitute and School Ties. [Thanks also to 'chefjeff'.]
March 29, 1998... "I read the script, ok, MOST of the script, it's THAT mundane," writes 'Celluloid Life' to CA. "Looks to me like a vehicle to ride in the wake of the success of Scream and 2 and I Know What You Did Last Summer. Don't expect to see Sissy Spacek or much resemblence to the original. Also the director wanted to do many of the FX in CGI until he was hit over the head with the costs. So, most SFX will be practical." [Coles notes coverage by 'Celluloid Life' .]
Casting is indeed underway for the film. An actor in Los Angeles told CA he's auditioned for the character of Mark Bing, described as "the old leader of the pack, cool/asshole, you know the story" kind of character. Mandel is indeed directing. "Also I'm hardly a star and didn't recognize anyone else at the audition, so it isn't a Scream type cast," the scooper also added. While they didn't want to tell us anything about the story, the scooper did reveal that the character he was trying out for eventually drowns in the film. [Anonymous.]
April 7, 1998... Yes, Amy Irving is really in this picture returning to play the lone survivor of the 1976 prom dance, Susan Snell. This time around I bet she won't take a step near any bulldozed property. [Nods to 'Snopjo'.]
The Charlotte Observer confirms that filming will be done, at least in part, in Charlotte, NC. It has also advertised for two open casting calls where the production will cast extras (telekinetics preferred.) ['burach'.]
Then someone who definitely doesn't want to be even remotely connected to William Katt checked in at the front desk...
"Okay, first off, I don't have a white boy 'fro like William 'The Last American Hero' Katt. But I do have more CARRIE II info. Announced yesterday in Hollywood Reporter: Amy Irving is reprising her role as Sue Snell, the only survivor from the original. That's fairly cool, I mean, it ain't like she needs the money after her settlment with Spielberg (now there's an industry secret, supposedly it was in the $100 million range, anybody got scoop on that?) Next, the cast is headed by Jason London, the lead from DAZED AND CONFUSED, he's a cutie and a half, so that's fairly cool too. The new girl with t.k. power is a Chicago stage actress named Emily Bergle. The producer is Paul Monash, who produced the 'first' CARRIE (as well as BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID and SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE, and wrote STALIN and WALLACE for HBO) so we can assume he ain't hurtin' for Franklins either. An anonymous source, who is peripherally associated with the production, but wouldn't b.s. if her life depended on it, informed this film consumer that the script was 'awesome'. Also, Howard Rodman was not mentioned in the Hollywood Reporter blurb. The writer, Rafael Moreu, wrote HACKERS, which wildly careened from funny to stupid to funny, to stupid to funny, but at least had a great soundtrack and a topless Angelie Jolie, enough too recommend it in my book. Stay tuned, Mongo has her (or his) ear to the ground on this one." [And so we thank 'Mongo' for the latest juice.]
April 10, 1998... The Dark Echo online newspaper had this to say about the plot of the picture: ""Carrie II is set in a town neighboring the rural burg of the original film where high school jocks play a cruel joke on a female student who is something of an outsider, triggering her destructive, supernatural powers." [Forwarded by 'Widgett'; originally appeared in the Dark Echo.]
April 12, 1998... Dylan Bruno who just had a small part in Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan has been added to the cast of Carrie II. [Submitted by the 'Dobler Effect'.]
April 28, 1998... A few miles away from Charlotte is the neighboring town of Gastonia. The North Gaston High School is all set to become the film's 'Bates High School' (no doubt there was a Norman who graduated from there, we suppose.) One of the students from North Gaston High, the editor of the teenage page in their school's newspaper, emailed us that the some friends of his were to be extras for the next ten weeks of filming. The scooper also finally cracks open just how this film is connected to the first picture: turns out the new girl with the telekenetic powers is Carrie White's cousin ("guess it runs in the family," our scooper commented on the matter.)
Here's what one of the student extras, Leslie Lash, wrote about the experience in the school paper:
"Lights! Camera! Action! The essence of Hollywood has finally taken residence in Gastonia, at least for the next ten weeks. I was one of the 1,000 or so people that herded into Eastridge Mall several weeks ago to apply to be an extra on the set of Carrie II. Though I have no interest in acting whatsoever, I saw this is a good opportunity to make a little money. Plus, how many people can say that they have been in a movie?
"I was told that I would be working four days for twelve to sixteen hours and that I would be making minimum wage -- the first and biggest disadvantage. Also, having to wake up in time to be at North Gaston by six in the morning did not exactly appeal to me, but that is a price all of the chosen 250 or so extras simply had to pay. Before I go any further, let me just say that the whole idea of being in a movie, to me, is completely overrated. While I understand that extras do help to make a scene seem real, I also am aware that the majority of people watching a movie do not pay nearly as much attention to the blurry dots in the background (that would be us) as they do to the stars in the scene. Extras are exactly what they are called; we are just extra people.
"We were placed in different categories -- football players, cheerleaders, colorguard, freaks, nerds, cafeteria workers, patio kids and students. Most of the people there (which, by the way, ranged from small children to senior citizens) were patio kids. I was one of them. We were told that when the director yelled, 'Action!' to do certain things, such as walk over to someone or down a sidewalk, and pretend to mingle, talk, play Frisbee, whatever. After a few seconds, they would stop the film and repeat it again until they liked what they saw. This process was usually repeated about ten times on the average. At one point, a scene was being shot with the cheerleaders that did not require the extras. We all sat on a grassy area talking amongst ourselves until they finished that single scene, which took about two and a half hours or so. A few of the people that I talked to surprised me with their enthusiasm for the movie. I commend them for taking such interest, but I lacked the same perk.
" 'Are you ready to act?' One girl asked me. Act? I was not acting. I was walking down a sidewalk, pantomiming to the person next to me about complete nonsense. This, to me, is not considered fine acting. Many of the people there were from talent agencies from all over the Southeast. It was confusing to me that anyone would come all this way to be a fuzzy blur in the background, and for such little pay, but I figured it was just another credential.
"The one particular reason that I find this whole extra business so overrated is the fact that we only did movie-related 'work' about approximately twenty percent of the time. After all, they did not need us all of the twelve or more hours, so the rest of the time was left up to us to spend however we wanted in the gym of North Gaston. The first day I did not know anyone and had not brought anything to pass the time. In all my utter boredom I was quite convinced that the day, which I assure you passed by unnaturally slowly, was never going to end. However, the second day consisted of very little 'acting' but many, many hours of excessive card games with new acquaintances.
"It was pretty thrilling to be about two feet away from a few of the stars of the movie (of whom I am pretty sure I am bound by law or something not to name), that was about the only rush of excitement I had the whole time. Intimidated by conversations I overheard of people bragging to one another about commercials they had been in or upcoming movies, I was dumbfounded. I even felt a little guilty for just going to make some money, but oh well.
"My opinion of this experience is pretty indifferent, but I would probably do it again even though it really increases one's idea of boredom. It had its moments, but I have yet to be impressed by this supposedly lavish lifestyle." -- Leslie Lash
Finally, our scooper also told us that the eldest son on Home Inprovement is the film's main male lead. [Thanks to Eric for the great scoop; Leslie Lash's article originally appeared in the Gaston Gazette.]
May 12, 1998... Around the set the film is mentioned as having the subtitle of 'The Curse'. Our scooper, while not directly connected to the film, has learned that there's been some setbacks on the set. Apparently the film's Art Director quit and construction on the principal house is behind schedule because the first Construction Coordinator quit. One of the more nasty rumors going around is that the entire shoot is three weeks behind schedule. [Submitted anonymously.]
May 19, 1998... Director Robert Mandel was fired last week. According to an anonymous scooper, Mandel got fired on Tuesday, May 12th. "UA had secretly flown Katt Shea (director/writer of Last Exit to Earth [1996], Poison Ivy [1992], Streets [1990], Dance of the Damned [1988] and Stripped to Kill [1986]) to N.C. on Monday to take over the direction of this film. Apparently the film lacked any style. UA planned on firing Bob on Thursday after he finished shooting a costly sequence but he was tipped off by his agent that Katt was in N.C. location scouting with the producer so they had to fire him two days early. Friday May 15th was Katt's first day shooting and everyone on the set is relieved and excited by Katt's work. One story is that the locals (who like to sit in lounge chairs and watch the shooting) were even commenting on Katt's directing abilities." [Anonymous.]
Another scooper had a different take on the firing. "[Mandel] was heard to say something to the effect of 'They think they're just getting another genre picture, but it's going to be artier than that.' Sounds like a case of ego overload, (but that's just a personal opinion.)" [Sent in by 'Ashron'.]
The screenwriter to this film, Rafael Moreu, also wrote the screenplay to Hackers. His wife is actress Kristin Moreu (TV's Brave New World, First Edition). [Anonymous.]
May 24, 1998... "Not a scoop, just an observation concerning how the two films might possibly be connected. I don't have the book at hand, so I may be completely off on this, but I do seem to remember that the end of the book was a tad different than the movie (now that's a shocker) in that the book ended with a letter that was never delivered to Carrie's mother (or something of that nature) telling her about a cousin who had begun to 'do things'.
"Basically, there may be a logical tie-in for the movie, but it still smeels of post-Scream hysteria." [Sidenote sent in by 'seaneric'.]
[And thank you to our friend for correcting us on our spelling mistake with your name. Please, don't use your TK abilities to throw the knives at us again!]
May 26, 1998... 'Ashron' returns to add some more names leaving the production. In addition to director Robert Mandell getting the boot, Mandell's assistant director and one of the producers were also let go. 'Ashron' says Mandell's been replaced by a female director, name presently unknown (but this could be Katt Shea as the May 19th scooper told us.) [TKed by 'Ashron'.]
May 28, 1998... "By all accounts, she [new director Katt Shea] is a very nice director and things are going smoothly since she came on board," our scooper tells us. ['Ashron'.]
Another insider has a different view from the set: "Major chaos on the set. First the studio brass reviewed several days' worth of dailies and were not pleased with the look of the film. Friction with the wardrobe dept. that lead to their dismissal. Everything had to be re-shot sending the schedule about two weeks behind. Now more bad news - the execs still didn't like what they were seeing. With the film already scheduled for 12 weeks (officially) but expected to require 14 weeks, the director and his team and the camera dept. have been fired. The new director is Katt Shea. This will surely cause more delays. Costs are climbing." [Anonymous.]
One of the extras received a letter informing them of reshoots that are now needed. "Reshoots will include any scene with 'Rachel', the main character, who in the movie finds out she is the half-sister of Carrie from the original." [Thanks to 'DoubleDipper'.]
July 28, 1998... We've heard word that the studio is hoping to release the film closer to Halloween. [Anonymous.]
December 15, 1998... We chose to look away and try to pretend we didn't hear a word about the film's title last summer...but our moral code of responsibility prevents us from ignoring a reader's comments about the script. Don't look at us! We're peeking at the monitor through our fingers! IIiieeee!
"Mongo returns with more poop on CARRIE 2. Newest version screened in San Jose, California. Check out review in Ain't It Cool News. Okay, I finally got my grubby little hands on a copy of the script. It was excellent. Holding my opinion of the movie, but here's what I've heard: The audience forms at the screening listed the new title as The Rage ( which will describe me if they screw up this story). Could it be? Is it possible? Could this project actually be any good? Well, I have a girlfriend who works at MGM and they're all psyched. The movie's release has been moved back to July, cause now they think they have a summer hit on their hands. Now then, horror movies are no longer printing money, just ask the people who remade Psycho, but what if this is as good as the script? As I said before, Amy Irving was married to Spielberg, she didn't need the money, people! Could it be good? Weirder things have happened. I remember when a little movie called TITANIC was supposed to end James Cameron's career and sink a studio."
...wha? You're telling us someone in MGM may have decided that the title Carrie, Say You're Sorry wasn't such a good choice after all? And that the script is...decent??? Can it be??? ['Mongo' didn't tell us his girlfriend was also telekinetic-- *OOF!* -- oww. Where'd that block of wood come from??]
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