When Paramount bought Oren Peli’s zero-budget Blair Witch-style, found footage mockumentary, Paranormal Activity, they initially just wanted to remake it. However a preview screening generated such good feedback that they decided to give the movie a cinema release. After coming out in a few US cinemas a couple of weeks ago, it’s done well enough that the studio is planning a major expansion, smelling the film could be a bigger hit than they expected.
Now Peli is moving onto his next project, where his budget is jumping from $11,000 to $5 million, although he’s still keeping with the found footage vibe, with a tale of three teens whose curiousity leads them to the notorious Area 51. According to Variety, the director isn’t letting slip any more plot details than that, although it’s probably safe to assume aliens will be involved somehow, with the teens taking their camcorder into the installation that’s rumoured to house a crashed UFO.
It’s an interesting move for Peli, who could presumably have used the Paranormal Activity buzz to get himself a big deal in Hollywood, but instead he’s raised the funding for Area 51 himself, and will be using the same team as helped him with his earlier movie. Filming on Area 51 starts soon.
Paranormal Activity opens on the UK on November 27th.