With all the high profile superhero movies coming out this year, it's entirely possible that none will be more effecting, more unique than Josh Trank's debut feature, Chronicle. On the surface, it didn't sound all that different from what we've seen before in other films, with a bunch of teens gaining incredible abilities then struggling to figure them out. What made Chronicle different was the real world approach it took, keeping the focus tight and personal rather than forcing it into some larger plot with clearly defined heroes and bad guys.
Proving to be one of the year's top earners, especially when factoring in the minuscule cost, it was obvious Fox would want a sequel. About a month ago they hired Max Landis back to write the script, and he sounds as if he has some pretty big goals....
Landis: "The movie you saw, in the sequel, is a thing. That edited footage … is a thing. So it’s not like ‘we found this footage after these kids died’. You can’t deny cars being thrown in the air in Seattle. You saw all those helicopters. The world changed. That’s the end of 'Chronicle.' And things are going to be different now. They can’t possibly cover up what happened,"
It sounds as if Landis hopes to make this a much larger film, with global ramifications that could lead to countless possibilities. Clearly, Landis has designs on making the world of Chronicle large enough to support a continued franchise. He also adds that Matt(Alex Russell) will be returning, and that he'll be put "through Hell" in the sequel.
One person who may not be coming back is Trank, who has been flooded with offers in the last few months. He's been attached to a reboot of the Fantastic Four; a spinoff featuring the Venom character from The Amazing Spider-Man; and the comic book adaptation The Red Star. After seeming hesitant about the project recently, Trank's name was noticeably missing when Fox CEO, Tom Rothman, talked about Chronicle 2 being in active development. It's possible that he could still board as a producer, though nothing is confirmed. [STYD]
