It would be accurate to say that Twilight and New Moon have brought the vampire movie genre into a new and prosperous age. So it seems to make sense that people are saying Brad Pitt has agreed to being involved in a new vampire movie so that he can ride that wave of popularity. But let’s not forget that Brad Pitt starred in the movie that changed all the rules about vampires and vampire movies: Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles, made in 1994 – long before Twilight and New Moon were even ideas. That box office smash starred Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Christian Slater and a then very young Kirsten Dunst. So who is really riding on whose wave here?
Summit Entertainment announced that it has purchased the rights to the vampire movie Vlad. Brad Pitt’s production company, Plan B Entertainment will help produce the new vampire movie, which is being dubbed an action thriller. Some sources are currently reporting that Vlad will also star Brad Pitt, but that has not been confirmed as of this writing.
Interestingly, for those of you who don’t follow such things, Brad Pitt is in more or less of a tie with Twilight star Robert Pattinson, who plays Edward, as the most popular male screen star. Maybe Brad Pitt’s upcoming vampire movie, in which he may well play Vlad The Impaler, will break up the tie. Then too, Pattinson will be starring in the third Twilight installment, Eclipse, to be released in June of 2010. So both actors will have at least one more chance to woo fans.
I think Brad Pitt would be very well suited to play Vlad The Impaler in an action vampire movie. In Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles, Brad Pitt played a rather calm, profound and deliberate vampire, Louis de Pointe du Lac. However Pitt has shown his ability to deftly handle action roles in movies like Troy, Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Inglorious Basterds. And nobody could argue about Brad Pitt’s ability to successfully portray dark and mysterious characters.
There is as yet no release date announced for Vlad, and since Summit Entertainment is busy getting Eclipse ready for its June 2010 debut in theaters, it might be late next year before the new Brad Pitt vampire movie makes it to the big screen – maybe even 2011. It seems logical that Summit would hurry the new movie along to ensure that vampire movie fans are still hungry for the genre at the box office.
Charlie Hunnam wrote the script for Brad Pitt’s new vampire movie. You may know Charlie Hunnam from Queer as Folk, the 2002 thriller Abandon or his latest role in the hit series Sons of Anarchy, in which he plays Jackson ‘Jax’ Teller. Writing the script for what promises to be a major motion picture will be quite a feather in young Hunnam’s cap, and it may even change the direction of the actor’s career.
Anthony Mandler, according to some sources, is being looked at for the new vampire movie’s director. Anthony Mandler doesn’t have much in the way of movie credits to his name, but apparently Summit and Brad Pitt believe he can captain the project to box office success.
Get ready Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse fans – you’re soon going to have to decide who your favorite male movie vampire is: Brad Pitt or Robert Pattinson. Of course, if fans still can’t decide, maybe we’ll see even more big budget vampire movies in the near future. It’s a win-win situation for fans, for sure.
Sources:
http://www.examiner.com/x-27339-Cincinnati-Pop-Culture-Examiner~y2009m12d7-Brad-Pitt-to-produce-new-vampire-flick
http://www.current-movie-reviews.com/industry/2009/12/08/brad-pitt-to-play-vampire-in-movie-vlad/
