Honestly, we figured “The Grudge” director Takashi Shimzu would have a hard time finding quality work after the 2006 sequel “The Grudge 2,” a film with all the trappings of a straight-to-DVD effort, which didn’t exactly capture the (minor) effectiveness or (major) box office heat of the first film. Though stranger things have happened in Hollywood, and it looks as if Shimizu will return to the major studio-supported horror with a genre-friendly cast.
“The Zookeeper” and “Iron Man” star Leslie Bibb, along with “True Blood” actor Ryan Kwanten, and “Crank” actress Amy Smart have come aboard “7500.” What that cast may lack in talent, they certainly make up for in cult appeal, especially Kwanten and Smart. Written by “Lost” scribe Craig Rosenberg (wait for it), the film will follow a group of passengers aboard a transatlantic flight that encounters what may be a supernatural force beyond their control. Kwanten and Smart are a married couple on their way to Japan with a few friends, and Bibb is a flight attendant with a secretive relationship. Sounds like Rosenberg has compiled all the leftover, interweaving “it must be fate” storylines from his days on “Lost.”
Shimizu delivered with his first film “Ju-On: The Grudge,” an atmospheric and spooky haunted house thriller from Japan. Then he basically squandered the goodwill from that film with the follow-up and subsequent American remakes he did for Sam Raimi’s Ghost House Pictures, which were all a part of that awful J-Horror remake trend in the early 2000s. While the cast may not be the most well-equipped acting-wise, we’re sure this one is going to draw more than a few males looking to see “Iron Man” seductress Bibb and Smart, who spent much of her screen time in “Crank” barely clothed. Then there’s “True Blood” heartthrob Ryan Kwanten for the ladies, so this will most likely be one of those forgotten DVD relics in a few years.
It doesn’t help that CBS Films, who’ve been behind such fine features as the Harrison Ford and Brendan Fraser-starring “Extraordinary Measures,” are also putting forth the money for this one. We hate to sound cynical, but this just doesn’t seem like a project that’s going to amount to more than a few jump scares and possibly a decent box office intake. Even as a “Lost” viewer, this writer is finding it hard to muster any excitement for the project. [via ComingSoon]