Lightning striking once, okay sure. Lightning striking twice, not so fast.
Paranormal Activity was the hit that nobody saw coming in 2009. Built on word-of-mouth press and Internet campaigns, its slow rollout led to monumental box office earnings (especially when you consider how much PA cost to make – $151 million vs. $15,000).
Now there’s word that Paramount has hired screenwriter Michael R. Perry and director Kevin Greutert to create the sequel. And again Paramount will challenge the Saw franchise for box-office weekend superiority the weekend before Halloween this year. And here’s the twist: Greutert made his directorial debut last year with Saw VI. That’s right, he directed the then latest entry in the Saw franchise only to see it get trounced by Paranormal Activity during its opening weekend. Well, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.
Jason Blum and Oren Peli, who were the masterminds behind the first PA are acting as producers.
Said Peli of Perry and Greutert’s participation, “These guys get it, and the fans won’t be disappointed.”
Because of the success of Activity, Paramount Film Group president Adam Goodman has launched an initiative to spend $1 million a year to make 10-20 similarly micro-budgeted films each costing less than $100,000. The studio is also releasing Peli’s follow-up, Area 51, which is now in post-production.
Coming from someone who enjoyed Paranormal Activity compared to most of the horror films that get released today, I don’t see the merit in a sequel. Just another cash grab by the studio. Hopefully with the participation of Michael R. Perry, who’s script The Voices was No. 3 on “The Black List,” which is a list of the Top 11 unproduced screenplays of 2009, something decent can be churned out for its October release.
Source: Heat Vision
