Recent reports have surfaced claiming Fox is completely unhappy with the progress concerning the sequel to this year’s hit Chronicle, specifically with the film’s script.
Chronicle surprised audiences this by having an engaging and relatable script, something usually lacking in “found footage” films (see: all of them). The man, almost solely responsible for this strength, is screenwriter Max Landis, who tantalized fans of Chronicle by signing on for the planned sequel. Unfortunately, he’s already meeting adversity. In a recent interview with The Playlist, Max’s father Jon shed some light on the situation Landis is facing with Fox studio execs, saying:
“He wrote a sequel, and it’s amazing, and the studio read it and said, ‘We want ‘Chronicle’ again!’ And he said, ‘No, this is the sequel, it’s the evolution, and they said ‘No, we want that movie again!’ So it’s difficult, we’re dealing with a difficult business.”
Max Landis’ “evolution” of the existing story-line had hoped to shed some light on the origins of the main characters’ paranormal power in Chronicle. While the original film does hint at some sort of alien technology, Max Landis’s new script wished to delve into this with great enthusiasm. This is also a progressing aspect Josh Trank, director of Chronicle, may have been onboard for amidst his presently busy schedule. However, if the sequel were to be a rehash of Chronicle, the ambitious director may turn away from a sequel to pursue more original project opportunities.
The idea of a Chronicle sequel is more than exciting. However, it’s disheartening to find out studio executives are hampering the creative processes of artists that brought so much to the original storyline. It’s even more disheartening to find out they’re actually pushing for a film that’s completely identical. We’ll be sure to fill you in on how this story develops.
