Dying has certainly been good for Michael Jackson’s career. And while that may sound a bit harsh, it’s undoubtedly true his earning power has gone through the roof ever since his early demise. The next thing in line appears to be a movie based on the song Thriller, and the music video that went with it.
Deadline reports that Fox 2000, Mandate/Lionsgate, Summit Entertainment and GK Films are all involved in a bit of a bidding war to acquire the package, which comes with Kenny Ortega (High School Musical, This Is It) directing, and Hangover scribe Jeremy Garelick on screenplay duties. At the moment it looks like GK Films is in poll position to get the rights.
The plot of the $50 million flick is being kept under wraps, although it apparently ‘has to do with the song’s folklore, involving Vincent Price and the town he grew up in’. Price of course narrated the Thriller video. Presumably we can expect plenty of ghoulies and ghosties in the 3D flick.
It all sounds like a pretty horrible idea, and it’d be interesting to know what John Landis, who directed the original Thriller video, thinks. Perhaps there’s a genius idea behind the idea of a Thriller flick, but it’s difficult not to see it as trying to cash in on the Jackson legacy once again.