Adding to their already-impressive line-up for the next two years, Universal has officially announced release dates along with synopses for some of their most anticipated projects, including the recently-confirmed Pitch Perfect 2 and Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak.
In chronological order, the studio reveals that As Above, So Below, the psychological thriller from John Erick Dowdle (Quarantine), will be opening on August 15th, 2014.
Miles of twisting catacombs lie beneath the streets of Paris, the eternal home to countless souls. When a team of explorers ventures into the uncharted maze of bones, they uncover the secret of what this city of the dead was meant to contain. A journey into madness and terror, AS ABOVE, SO BELOW reaches deep into the human psyche to reveal the personal demons that come back to haunt us all. Written by John Erick Dowdle and Drew Dowdle (Quarantine, Devil) and directed by John Erick Dowdle, the psychological thriller is produced by Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, Drew Dowdle and Patrick Aiello. Alex Hedlund serves as the executive producer.
The Liam Neeson-led A Walk Among the Tombstones will be released on September 19th, 2014.
Based on Lawrence Block’s bestselling series of mystery novels, A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES stars Liam Neeson as Matt Scudder, an ex-NYPD cop who now works as an unlicensed private investigator operating just outside the law. When Scudder reluctantly agrees to help a heroin trafficker (Dan Stevens) hunt down the men who kidnapped and then brutally murdered his wife, the PI learns that this is not the first time these men have committed this sort of twisted crime…nor will it be the last. Blurring the lines between right and wrong, Scudder races to track the deviants through the backstreets of New York City before they kill again. Written and directed by Scott Frank (The Lookout), A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES is produced by Jersey Films’ Danny DeVito, Double Feature Films’ Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher, Cross Creek Pictures’ Brian Oliver and Exclusive Media’s Tobin Armbrust. Universal will distribute the film in North America.
Ouija, the long-awaited adaptation of the board game, produced by Michael Bay and Jason Blum, hits cinemas on October 24th, 2014.
In OUIJA, a group of friends must confront their most terrifying fears when they awaken the dark powers of an ancient spirit board. Stiles White directs the supernatural thriller that is produced by Platinum Dunes partners Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form (The Purge, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th) alongside Blumhouse Productions’ Jason Blum (Paranormal Activity and Insidious series, The Purge), Bennett Schneir (Battleship) and Hasbro. Juliet Snowden and Stiles White wrote the script for OUIJA, and Universal will distribute the film worldwide.
Kicking things off next year will be Baltasar Kormakur returning behind the camera following last year’s 2 Guns for Everest, starring Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, and Jake Gyllenhaal, which will open in 3D and IMAX 3D on February 27th, 2015.
Inspired by the incredible events surrounding a treacherous attempt to reach the summit of the world’s highest mountain, EVEREST documents the awe-inspiring journey of two different expeditions challenged beyond their limits by one of the fiercest snowstorms ever encountered by mankind. Their mettle tested by the harshest of elements found on the planet, the climbers will face nearly impossible obstacles as a lifelong obsession becomes a breathtaking struggle for survival. Starring Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes and Jake Gyllenhaal, the epic adventure will be directed by Baltasar Kormákur (2 Guns, Contraband) and produced by Working Title Films’ Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, Cross Creek Pictures’ Brian Oliver and Tyler Thompson, as well as Nicky Kentish Barnes. Universal Pictures and Cross Creek Pictures’ presentation of EVEREST—in association with Walden Media—is adapted for the screen by Mark Medoff (Children of a Lesser God) and Oscar® winner Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire). The film will shoot on location in Nepal on the foothills of Everest, the Italian Dolomites and at Cinecittà Studios in Rome and Pinewood Studios in the U.K.
Following the recent announcement that Elizabeth Banks will make her feature directorial debut with the sequel, Pitch Perfect 2 has been slated for May 15th, 2015. The following synopsis is very brief, not revealing any details other than saying the Barden Bellas are back, which suggests that we can look forward to at least Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson returning, as expected. It also describes the film as ‘the next chapter’, which hints, however subtly, that Pitch Perfect 3 could be on the cards if things go well for the 2015 sequel.
The Barden Bellas are back in PITCH PERFECT 2, the follow-up to summer 2012’s smash hit. The comedy will be helmed by Elizabeth Banks, co-star and producer ofPitch Perfect, and produced by Paul Brooks, Max Handelman and Banks. Writer Kay Cannon returns to the team to pen the next chapter.
And finally Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak, his anticipated follow-up to Pacific Rim, starring Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston, and Charlie Hunnam, will land in regular and IMAX cinemas on October 16th, 2015.
Legendary Pictures’ CRIMSON PEAK, a co-production with Universal Pictures, is a haunting gothic horror story directed by the master of dark fairy tales, Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy series, Pacific Rim), written by del Toro and Matthew Robbins and starring Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston and Charlie Hunnam. In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider. Trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes, bleeds…and remembers. Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, del Toro and Callum Greene produce, and Jillian Share executive produces.
This adds to their current line-up for 2014/15, which includes – to name but a few – Non-Stop, Neighbors, A Million Ways to Die in the West, The Purge: Anarchy, Lucy, Seventh Son, Fifty Shades of Grey, Minions, Jurassic World, the untitled fifth Bourne film, Ted 2, and Fast & Furious 7.
Needless to say, it’s shaping up to be another very prosperous couple of years for the studio.
Source: Thanks to Collider for the heads up.
