Timur Bekmambetov is one of the more creative filmmakers working today. Sure, not all of his films are great, but he, much like Ang Lee and James Cameron, is all about pushing the film medium further with technology, specifically his Screenlife model. And apparently, thanks to his previous hits using the tech and the current global pandemic, Universal is ready to sign Bekmambetov and his Screenlife tech up for a number of films.
According to Deadline, Universal has signed a deal for five future films using Bekmambetov’s Screenlife technology. This format uses the computer screen as a storytelling device, allowing for the audience to be told a story using only webcams, messengers, email, and other computer programs, simulating what a person’s desktop looks like. Screenlife was previously used in the acclaimed thriller “Searching.”
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And for the future, Bekmambetov has some interesting ideas, including how to make a sequel for his action blockbuster “Wanted,” starring James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie, using Screenlife instead of relying on fancy stunts and expensive CGI.
“Maybe do the [‘Wanted’] sequel in Screenlife,” Bekmambetov suggested. “I cannot imagine an assassin in today’s world would run with a gun. Why? He will use drones, he will use computer technology, probably. You don’t need to bend bullets anymore. You need to bend ideas.”
Regardless of the plausibility of a “Wanted” sequel using the same technology used in films such as “Unfriended” and “Searching,” the filmmaker thinks his Screenlife model is more important now than ever before, given the reliance on computers to communicate in a post-COVID-19 world.
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“During this crazy time, we have been living in Screenlife mode, and it is very organic to produce movies because they can be done while people are home in their safe place,” he said. “We are all in different cities and we can record screens without meeting each other. It’s the nature of this language, this Screenlife format, to work like this.”
Bekmambetov added, “It is a very organic production process, and what we learned in the past few months is we are the only production technology allowing us to work during the restrictions.”
It’s unclear what the five films that Universal has made a deal for will include. As mentioned, Bekmambetov’s company has worked on projects as varied as the horror genre (“Unfriended”), a missing-persons thriller (“Searching”), and political drama (“Profile”). And much like the micro-budget Blumhouse model, the Screenlife films are an easy way to keep budgets down and make a good profit for studios.
READ MORE: ‘Profile’ Is A Gripping, Thrillingly Topical Drama About ISIS Recruitment [Berlin Review]
That being said, there has to be a really great idea and execution to make this format work to its full potential. Telling stories relying solely on a computer screen as a delivery system for storytelling requires a really creative filmmaker with a vision. So, while the idea of more films with the quality of “Searching” sounds great, there’s the distinct possibility this Screenlife deal could also result in some real stinkers.
We’ll just have to wait and see. Honestly, that “Wanted” sequel idea doesn’t sound too terrible, at all. So, who knows?