Reel FX are bursting onto the scene on 1st November, with their time-travelling turkey tale, Free Birds, and things are starting to take shape for the freshman studio's sophomore film now too. In Autumn 2014, the studio will release The Book of Life, based on the Mexican Day of the Dead (not to be confused with Pixar's film also based on the holiday - directed by Toy Story 3's Lee Unkrich - which is expected, but not confirmed, to release in 2016). And now we have an extensive star-studded cast for the film!
The film, despite being reasonably small scale, is packed with big A-list stars. Channing Tatum, Zoe Saldana, Ron Perlman, Ice Cube, Cheech Marin, Danny Trejo and many more are all aboard the Mexico-set film. The Rotoscopers have the full cast listing, if you're interested. Good cast, with some really smart (and apt) casting choice; it should mesh nicely with the film.
The press release had this to say about the film:
"An animated comedy with a unique visual style, THE BOOK OF LIFE is the journey of Manolo, a young man who is torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart. Before choosing which path to follow, he embarks on an incredible adventure that spans three fantastical worlds where he must face his greatest fears. Rich with a fresh take on pop music favorites, THE BOOK OF LIFE encourages us to celebrate the past while looking forward to the future."
Aside from the bizarre "pop music favorites" line, that sounds really quite interesting! While I remain unsold on Free Birds, The Book of Life could be a surprise hit next year.
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| Reel FX's first film, Free Birds, opens on 1st November (US)/29th November (UK). |
Jorge Gutierrez is directing, and the man of a thousand different films, Guillermo del Toro, is producing. Gustavo Santaolalla (Brokeback Mountain) is composing some original songs and the score for the film. More details on the film and its crew over at THR.
The Book of Life opens on 10th October, 2014; Reel FX has partnered with Fox to produce the film. The studio also has Beasts of Burden, and a new film called W.I.S.H. Police in the pipeline.
AH! As with all things del Toro, I am super excited!!! Have to agree though, that pop music line is a little scary.
ReplyDeleteAlso, It's pretty awesome that del Toro keeps working with smaller studios and following the ambition rather than the monies.
I hope it's just boilerplate added in to try and sell the film to a mass audience - like the "animated comedy" bit, which you see a variant of in pretty much every American animated film's description...
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