EXCLUSIVE: David Fincher is trying again with Heavy Metal, the animated anthology film he set up two years ago at Paramount, only to see the studio drop the project.
Fincher’s shopping a version I would call vastly more appealing. I’m told that Fincher has Avatar director James Cameron ready to direct a segment, as well as 300 director Zack Snyder. Fincher is directing one himself. And, oh yeah, the whole thing will be 3-D animation.
Heavy Metal is inspired by the `70s science fiction fantasy magazine., which previously was the basis for a 1981 film and a 2000 sequel. This version will consist of eight or nine individual animated segments, each by a different director, all of them infused with the spirit of the erotic and violent storylines that defined the magazine. In its Paramount incarnation, Fincher had Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator and Heavy Metal magazine publisher Kevin Eastman ready to direct a segment, as well as Tim Miller, who runs Blur Studios, the enterprise that was set to handle the animation. Not sure if they’re still doing segs.
I’ll drop in other directors and details as I get them. The project is in search of a financier and distributor. Anthologies usually appeal to a limited audience, but this sounds like one that will be a strong draw to the fanboy audience that loves Sin City. Like that film, this will deserve its R rating.
It is the second anthology film I’ve written about in two days, following the Relativity Media comedy that has 17 directors filming segments for a film styled after `70s cult classics Kentucky Fried Movie and The Groove Tube. I was remiss in not noting the number of writers on the picture. There are 14 of them. Can’t wait to sit through the credit roll at the end of the film.
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