Genre: Adventure/Action.
Studio:
20th Century Fox.
Production Company:
Fox 2000 Pictures/Original Film Prods/Shuler Donner/Donner Prods.
Project Phase: In the Can.
Who's In It:
Tommy Lee Jones; Anne Heche; Gaby Hoffman; Jaqueline Kim; Don Cheadle; John Corbett;
John Carroll Lynch; Keith David; Laurie Lathem; Bo Eason; Stanley Tucci.
Who's Making It:
Mick Jackson (Director); Billy Ray, Barbara Benedek, Jerome Armstrong (Screenwriters);
Neal Moritz, Andy Davis (Producers); Stokely Chaffin, Michael Fottrell (Co-Producers);
Lauren Shuler Donner (Executive Producer); Scott Stuber (Associate Producer); Theo
Van De Sande (Director of Photography); Bruce Green, Michael Tronick (Editors);
Jack De Gova (Production Designer); Mat Beck (Visual Effects Supervisor);
Clay Pinney, Marty Bresin (Special Effects Supervisors); Alan
Silvestri (Musical Score).
Premise: A volcano erupts from the La Brea Tar Pits in downtown Los Angeles, devastating the city. As ash plummets from the sky and lava flows down Wilshire Boulevard, citizens unite in their efforts to get out of the city alive.
Release Date: April 25, 1997.
Comments: As Dante's Peak gears up for production, volcano-disaster movies start to get 'hot', so to speak. See Scoop Feedback.
Developments:
Late February, 1997... The new release date is now April 25.
December 23, 1996... TwenCen has pushed back the release of Volcano to either a May or October date.
November, 1996... Eager to avoid the lava-laden pitfall of opening after a similarly-themed picture (Dante's Peak), Volcano has been bumped up to a early Spring release date of February 28, 1997. As with all advance dates, the date is subject to change.
Rumors: Unknown.
Scoop Feedback:
April 5, 1996... [Movie annoucement sent in courtesy of Christian.]
April 24, 1996... Volcano is set firmly in the Irwin Allen style of moviemaking: big disasters happen to nice enough folks. The film chronicles the upswelling of a active volcano in Los Angeles, "sending lava flowing down the streets of Beverly Hills." Mick Jackson is set to direct, with a late May/early June start of filming hoped for. [Scoop reported by an equally-active sounding 'SuperNova'; originally taken from Variety.]
April 28, 1996... Bill Pullman has pulled out of the project, and now producers may be looking at Tommy Lee Jones as a replacement. Scoop forwarded by Harry Knowles.]
April 30, 1996... Volcano has been given the thumbs-up to film in certain locales around the east Los Angeles area. Dates are pending. [Scoop reported anonymously.]
May 6, 1996... Tommy Lee Jones is being offered a reported $10 million to star in this vehicle. [Scoop info supplied by Christian.]
June 6, 1996... Devil in a Blue Dress co-star Don Cheadle is considering a part in the film. The female roles are now being cast. This film, like its rival Dante's Peak, will most likely be released in the summer of 1997. It will start shooting in late July and should only take 80 days of filming, unlike Dante's 100+ days. [Scoop provided by 'Sylvester'.]
June 24, 1996... Don Cheadle is in the show, along with Anne Heche. [Scoop sent in by Christian.]
July 22, 1996... It appears Fox has started hiring every carpenter within 3 states to help build a full scale model of parts of soon-to-be-destroyed Los Angeles. One shot involves destroying the Peterson Auto museum. [Scoop submitted by 'Igor'.]
November 11, 1996... Some industry professionals are worried about the escalating budget for this flick, dubbing it 'Lavaworld'. [Scoop sent in by Diane.]
December 23, 1996... Fox blinked. Volcano will now be released sometime in May or October of 1997 announced Twentieth Century Fox today. The picture had been scheduled to open on February 28th. [Scoop also reported by 'Bam'.]
December 26, 1996... Will the new The Presidents of the United States of America's song 'Volcano' be featured on the soundtrack? [Question pondered by an anonymous person.]
December 30, 1996... Most special effects are being produced by VIFX, the effects house which Fox took a majority interest in over the summer. [Scoop provided by 'S-F- Duff'.]
April 12, 1997... This scooper informs us that many of the visual effects shots in Volcano were produced by Light Matters Inc. of Pacific Palisades, California. The scooper also points out that the design of the CGI lava is the work of a Colin Strause. [Scoop mailed in anonymously.]
The Tag Line: "The Coast is Toast."
Official Web Site: www.volcano.com