Village, The

By: Corona's Coming Attractions
Date: Monday, August 09, 2004

Genre:
Thriller/Supernatural.

Studio:
Walt Disney Pictures.

Production Company:
Blinding Edge Pictures.

Project Phase:
In the Can.

Who's In It:
Joaquin Phoenix (Lucius Hunt); Bryce Dallas Howard (Ivy Walker); William Hurt; Sigourney Weaver (Alice Hunt); Adrien Brody; Judy Greer (Kitty Walker); Jayne Atkinson.

Who's Making It:
M. Night Shyamalan (Director, Screenwriter); Scott Rudin, Sam Mercer (Producers).

Premise:
In 1897, a community lives with the knowledge that strange, mythical beings dwell in the woods surrounding their town.

Release Date:
July 30, 2004.

Comments:
Shyamalan will earn his biggest payday ever for THE WOODS: he's getting eight figures up-front and a percentage of the film's gross. The film is part of a two-picture deal Shyamalan signed with the Walt Disney Company.

Scoop Feedback:

May 21, 2003... M. Night Shyamalan is working on his next project. The director of SIGNS, THE SIXTH SENSE and UNBREAKABLE will begin filming THE WOODS this coming October. In talks to star in Shyamalan's fifth film are Ashton Kutcher (That 70s Show), Kirsten Dunst (SPIDER-MAN) and Joaquin Phoenix (SIGNS).

Unlike his earlier films, THE WOODS is set more than a century ago in 1897 but it does continue Shyamalan's curiousity with the supernatural. The picture revolves around a community of townfolk who live with the knowledge that a race of mythical beings live in the woods around their village.

Shyamalan negotiated a deal with The Walt Disney Company to direct two more movies, of which THE WOODS is the first. He may do another film for another studio after completing WOODS, which is now targeted for a summer 2004 release. [Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, Variety.]

May 29, 2003... After contemplating a

starring role in M. Night Shyamalan's next film, THE WOODS, actress Kirsten Dunst has decided to pass on the opportunity. Instead, Bryce Dallas Howard has won the film's leading female role. This is Howard's big break in a Hollywood movie, and it stands to reason that her father (who happens to be Oscar-winning director Ron Howard) is all smiles. The younger Howard does have acting experience, notably in a selection of New York stage plays.

THE WOODS begins filming in October. [Variety.]

July 11, 2003... The Hollywood Reporter states that actor William Hurt has joined the cast of M. Night Shyamalan's THE WOODS. It's not mentioned what role Hurt will play in the film, or much else besides what little we already know about the SIGNS director's next project: in 1897 a small community lives with the knowledge that a race of mythical creatures reside in the woods around their town. Bigfoot? Fairies? Oompaloompas? Wait, wrong franchise...

The film also stars Joaquin Phoenix and Bryce Dallas Howard. Strangely, Reporter doesn't mention the involvement of Ashton Kutcher, who was also pegged at one time to star in the film. [Source: THR.]

July 14, 2003... ALIEN heroine Sigourney Weaver is the latest to earn a paycheck on M. Night Shyamalan's THE WOODS. Weaver will play the role of Alice, the mother of Joaquin Phoenix's character.

There's still nothing more to add about the film's story: a small 1897 Pennsylvanian community lives in tandem with a race of mythical creatures in the woods around them. Filming starts in October for a summer 2004 release. [Source: Variety.]

July 16, 2003... Oscar-winning actor Adrien Brody (THE PIANIST) is in talks to join the ever-growing cast of M. Night Shyamalan's THE WOODS. If a deal can be reached Brody would join Joaquin Phoenix, Bryce Dallas Howard, William Hurt and Sigourney Weaver in this 19th century supernatural-themed thriller.

The trades still have next to nil to report about the characters we'll see in the picture. When Shyamalan wants to keep details a secret, he certainly knows how to do it. If someone out there knows something -- anything -- you know where to send it. [Source: The Hollywood Reporter.]

August 22, 2003... Actress Judy Greer (CURSED, THE SPECIALS) is the latest cast addition to M. Night Shyamalan's THE WOODS. The supernatural thriller is scheduled to commence shooting this October.

Greer's character is Kitty Walker. Kitty has given her heart to Lucius Hunt, one of the men in the 19th century town that lives in fear of monsters dwelling in the nearby woods. Her little sister Ivy (played by Bryce Dallas Howard) struggles with being blind but harbors a hidden talent that will prove invaluable later on.

THE WOODS also stars Joaquin Phoenix, William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver and Adrien Brody.

August 28, 2003... The cast of M. Night Shyamalan's THE WOODS continues to grow, with the latest addition being actress Jayne Atkinson. Atkinson starred in the first two FREE WILLY films and has had guest appearances on THE X-FILES, LAW& ORDER and THE PRACTICE.

She will be playing the wife of William Hurt's character in the movie, a member of the townsfolk of a 19th century community who live in fear of prowling monsters that venture into their township from the woods. Other cast members include William Hurt, Joaquin Phoenix, Sigourney Weaver, Bryce Howard and Adrien Brody. Filming on THE WOODS is set to commence next month for a summer 2004 release. [Variety.]

August 29, 2003... The FilmJerk website has landed a major exclusive, publishing the first detailed look at M. Night Shyamalan's screenplay for THE WOODS. Compared to the scraps of solid information we've seen published in the trades before today, FilmJerk's review is a feast of details, character names and opinion about Shyamalan's script.

FilmJerk's scooper, an individual using the pseudonym "Ray Reddy", revealed that WOODS does have its trademark Shyamalan surprises. "Although I liked the script, knowing the pedigree of the film makes the reader more attuned to what is to come I was able to guess the twist within the first 40 pages," explains Reddy in his review."

While it's a positive review, Reddy feels that Shyamalan is starting to copy himself and thus some of the impact of THE WOODS wasn't felt by the reader. "I would love to see Shyamalan move beyond this, so as not to become a one-trick pony that he might become with continued projects," Reddy adds. "He is a better storyteller than that and deserves a longer career."

Additional details concerning the main characters in THE WOODS (including names and profiles) as well as descriptions of the creatures at the heart of the story can be found by reading the FilmJerk article. A SPOILER ALERT is issued even though the FilmJerk piece doesn't reveal any of the story's major twists or character resolutions. [It came from FilmJerk.]

September 4, 2003... Even though we've been hearing about it for months, it looks like M. Night Shyamalan's next film won't be called THE WOODS. Apparently there's a MGM film using the same title that's about to start filming in less than two weeks, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, MGM and Disney have decided that Shyamalan's project will get a name change. A Disney rep told the magazine that Shyamalan's THE WOODS was just a working title anyway, which is probably Hollywood-ese for "They got their title registered first."

Right now Disney lawyers are sifting through WGA records to see which among their list of alternative titles are free and clear. How's UNDERBRUSH OF MYSTERY sound to you? [The Hollywood Reporter.]

September 22, 2003... Darwin Mayflower, the script reviewer for Screenwriter's Voice, has sat down and read the screenplay for M. Night Shyamalan's THE WOODS. Mayflower points out things he liked and didn't enjoy in his subsequent review (which he rates at only 60%) as well as include some spoiler material in describing what happens in the script. Fear not, none of the major twists in THE WOODS is revealed by Darwin.

But 60% isn't that great of a number, is it? So what did the reviewer find lacking in Shyamalan's THE WOODS?

"THE WOODS is both compelling and not, a departure for Night and a knockoff of his own work, a clever story and a dumb one, a sincere drama and a manipulated device -- it's right on the fence and can be knocked easily either way," writes Mayflower in his review. "I'm still not sure exactly how I feel, but I do know it pissed me off."

Find out the whole story by reading Darwin Mayflower's review of THE WOODS screenplay. [Screenwriter's Voice.]

December 28, 2003... The official website for M. Night Shyalamalan's THE VILLAGE (formerly known as THE WOODS) is now live. There you can download the film's new trailer and get a taste of what new spooky stories the director has in store for you as well as read the film's synopsis and partake in the creepy atmosphere.

April 27, 2004... The new trailer for M. Night Shyamalan's THE VILLAGE is now online and available in a variety of download formats and sizes. Opening in theaters on July 30, Shyamalan's sixth film is set in a rural Pennsylvania township where the citizens enjoy a understanding with strange and sometimes dangerous creatures that live in the woods outside their homes. The town's villagers have a set of rules that they all must follow or else they may face the wrath of the creatures. For generations no one has challenged the rule to venture into the woods until a curious young man named Lucius Hunt (Joaquin Phoenix) tests the boundaries...and unleashes a set of events that will shatter the perfection of the isolated community.

Is there a twist to the story just as Shyamalan has in his other films (THE SIXTH SENSE, UNBREAKABLE, SIGNS?) Care for a pretzel? [Touchstone Pictures.]

May 24, 2004... According to a story appearing in The Philadelphia Daily News (and reported by Coming Soon), M. Night Shyamalan has reassembled the cast and crew of his upcoming thriller THE VILLAGE in order to film a new ending for the movie. Disney did not confirm reports given by unknown crew members that the material being filmed was a new ending, but given that the ending to Shyamalan's script has been spoiled and is available on the Internet for months, maybe someone wants to try and keep this secret in the box. [Philadelphia Daily News, Coming Soon.]

May 25, 2004... We're not sure which site got them online first, but both Latino Review and Coming Soon have got the teaser posters for THE INCREDIBLES and THE VILLAGE on their sites. Same scooper, different name? Who knows for certain but at least we get to see the nifty new images. [Coming Soon, Latino Review.]

After Its Release:

August 2, 2004... Even though the reviews for M. Night Shyamalan's latest film aren't as positive overall as they were for his earlier thriller (SIGNS, UNBREAKABLE, THE SIXTH SENSE) that didn't stop the bulk of the movie-goers from seeing THE VILLAGE on its opening weekend. An impressive $50 million dollar opening weekend (just $3 M behind last week's champ THE BOURNE IDENTITY) was easily enough to catapult Shyamalan's movie to the top of the weekend box office charts. The question now is: how much will THE VILLAGE fall come next weekend?

August 8, 2004... In its second weekend, M. Night Shyamalan's THE VILLAGE earned an estimated $16,583,000, bringing the film's total accumulated domestic take to $85,727,000. While it's certain to crack $100 M, don't expect THE VILLAGE to repeat the financial success of Shyamalan's previous picture, SIGNS; ticket sales for Shyamalan's thriller dropped a whopping 67% this weekend.

Official Web Site:

thevillage.movies.go.com