Some news just in regarding two other of Oceanstorm's growing slate of projects has everyone in the office (all two of us for now) and those committed to a long-term association with us (too many to mention) in excited raptures, Firstly we have had positive feedback from the folks at ICM, and the afore-blog-mentioned Mr Pertwee, regarding INFECTED, that essentially reveals a genuine interest in a possible working agreement. All we have to do is ensure Hotel Caledonia gets off the ground to a healthy start and we're in business. Secondly our supernatural-horror, BASTILLE , has secured the attachment of the Hollywood-touted, and seriously up-and-coming Director of Photography, Steven Priovolos (whose work can be seen all over the net). My thanks to Steven for his enthusiasm and belief in this project. Our next step is to secure (now we have avenue to reach them via person-to-person) the producing talents of Mr Alexander Aja, and Mr Gregory Levasseur (Haute Tension, The Hills Have Eyes) and chances are this French flavoured, rollercoaster of a script should be set for Hollywood involvement. But more on that later.
Work has temporarily been halted on THE HARVESTER, a short horror film that brings the influence of Takashi Miike, and Hideo Nakata to the inner suburbs of Manchester in a spooky tale of sexual excess and fateful judgement. With the production aimed squarely at festival release, the project is also being seen as a teaser for a much larger project, tentatively titled RIDERS OF THE APOCALYPSE, a sweeping epic about the final days of judgement on earth. This is a big picture - and with so much already going on, I felt it best, with the Director Scott Davenport's support, to shelve it for now and see where we are in terms of time and resources in 12 months. The project does, however, continue to flourish in a minor capacity as both I and my good friend, and talented graphic artist, Steve Simmons, push ahead with both story and pictures for what we hope will be the first two installments of an eight part graphic novel bearing the same title "Riders of the Apocalypse".
G.E.C.O, an animated feature script, envisioned as the first fully 'motion video' animated feature since Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, is now complete - at least in its third draft - and is ready for the first pass of critique from our script reader contacts. Fingers crossed it will pass initial muster. It's a cracking action adventure tale set in the jungles of Belize, Central America, as a British Army unit, infiltrated into Guatemala on a face-saving mission for the Americans discover they have been duped into a cat and mouse race for survival against a gentically engineered half man/ half ape-like hybrid designed to stem the tide of human battlefield casualties around the globe. G.E.C.O will, no doubt, eventually make its way direct onto DVD - though we always hold out the hope that cinematic release is possible. Somehow on this one I doubt it. But it'll be one hell of a ride, and who knows, maybe there's a video game in there somewhere as well.
Well I guess that's it for news - at least for now. Keep checking up on Hotel Caledonia - the big greenlight isn't too far away, and then 'the storm' really will be gathering!
Nick
