'Splice' Hits Theatres This Summer

Splice the genre-warping creature feature will be entering the blockbuster arena of the Summer 2010 lineup.

Splice premiered in North America at Sundance earlier this year and garnered rave reviews from industry sci-fi and horror fans. The film is executive produced by Guillermo del Toro (The Hobbit, Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy I & II, Blade II) and directed by Vincenzo Natali (Cube, Paris, je t'aime). Natali's Cube is one of the greatest thrillers ever made, it is the Godfather of scifi thriller movies.

Producer Joel Silver and his Dark Castle label distributed by Warner Bros recently closed a distribution deal for the genetic mutation thriller Splice. It will give the film a wide summer release on 3,000 screens, and a P&A commitment north of $25 million, and more likely in the vicinity of $35 million to $40 million.

Splice is a modern Frankenstein story, starring Sarah Polley and Adrien Brody as genetic scientists who create humanoid life with nightmarish consequences.

WB has planned a June 4th release date.

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Links:
Silver Dark Castle 'Splice' Sundance Deal Going Down

'SPLICE' F--KS With Sundance Midnight Screening Audience In A Good Way

Vincenzo Natali & Guillermo del Toro's 'Splice' Premieres at Sitges Today | Watch Clip

Guillermo del Toro 'Spliced': Vincenzo Natali's SPLICE To Premiere In Sitges

Vincenzo Natale's sci-Fi horror film 'SPLICE' opens this fall

Vincenzo Natale's sci-Fi horror film 'SPLICE' opens this fall

Canadian Writer-director Vincenzo Natali will soon release 'Splice' a scifi-horror film executive produced by Guillermo del Toro.

"The Bonnie and Clyde of genetics" features Clive and Elsa, superstars of the genetic engineering world. They specialize in splicing together DNA from different animals to create fantastical new hybrids. The charismatic couple wants to use human DNA in a new hybrid – something that could yield astronomical medical benefits. The pharmaceutical company that funds their research, however, is more interested in exploiting their earlier triumphs for easier, short-term profit. Clive and Elsa secretly conduct their own experiment. The result is Dren (Delphine Chanéac): an amazing creature who exhibits an array of unexpected developments, both physical and intellectual. Dren exceeds their wildest dreams... and, ultimately, their most terrifying nightmare.

Director Natali says that the film is: “…about finding humanity in the monster and… the monsters that lurk within humanity.”

In the twelve years since Natali first began talking about the project, he finished two other movies (Nothing and Cypher), a segment of Paris, Je T'Aime, and the storyboards for hip werewolf picture Ginger Snaps.

What took so long? Explained Natali's long-time production partner Steve Hoban: "I can say this for both Vincenzo and I: We make movies in Canada. We don't make movies anywhere else." If you want to make a small indie drama, Canada's not a bad place to do it, but if you're looking to fund and shoot a high concept, $30 million or so scifi-horror film... well, try and name another large budget genre picture financed in Canada over the past ten years. It wasn't until French outfit Gaumont put up some cash and Guillermo del Toro got involved as an exec producer that things finally got rolling.

And then, ironically, being a Canadian production in 2007 became a huge asset: Because American productions were being canceled in the lead up to the writer's strike, Adrien Brody suddenly became available to join local girl Sarah Polley in the lead roles; the two of them offered instant credibility. Says Hoban: "For us, though, the reason to cast them had nothing to do with whether they liked this kind of film or had done this kind of film before or not. It was all about casting actors that you would believe to be scientists... Adrien and Sarah were the leading two who were the right kind of age and who you could really believe."

A limited theatrical US release is planned for Sept 18, 2009.

Source:
BloodyDisgusting.com
IMDB.com
Blogs.amctv.com

Sarah Polley and the fully grown creature played by Delphine Chanéac