Motion Pictures
February 2, 2001
Production Begins On Sci-Fi Thriller “Arac Attack,” For Warner Bros. Pictures And Village Roadshow Pictures
(February 2, 2001 – Burbank, CA) – Principal photography began in January on location in Arizona for the science fiction thriller “Arac Attack,” starring David Arquette (“Ready to Rumble”) and Kari Wuhrer (“Anaconda”). The announcement was made today by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, President, Worldwide Production, Warner Bros. Pictures.
What do you get when you cross toxic waste with a bunch of exotic spiders?: Eaten.
As every fan of classic thrillers knows, given the opportunity and the right chemical enhancement, arachnids will grow to humongous size and wreak havoc upon humanity. In “Arac Attack”the residents of a rural mining town discover that an unfortunate chemical spill has caused hundreds of little spiders to mutate overnight to the size of SUVs. And they’re hungry.
When the alarm is sounded, it is up to mining engineer Chris McCormack (Arquette) and Sheriff Sam Parker (Wuhrer) to mobilize an eclectic group of townspeople including the Sheriff’s young son, Mike (SCOTT TERRA), her daughter, Ashley (SCARLETT JOHANSSON) and paranoid radio announcer Harlan (DOUG E. DOUG) into battle against the bloodthirsty eight-legged beasts.
With state-of-the-art visual effects conceived and rendered by CFX (“Independence Day”), “Arac Attack”updates such inspired genre classics as “Them”and “The Black Scorpion”into a fun and uniquely spine-tingling experience.
Bon appetit.
Warner Bros. Pictures, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures and NPV Entertainment, presents a Centropolis Entertainment Production, “Arac Attack,”directed by ELLORY ELKAYEM. The film also stars LEON RIPPY as Wade, the town mayor with ulterior motives, and RICK OVERTON as inept deputy Pete. ROLAND EMMERICH (director, “The Patriot”) and DEAN DEVLIN (producer, “Godzilla,” “The Patriot”) will produce, PETER WINTHER (producer, “Stargate”) and BRUCE BERMAN (“The Matrix,” “Analyze This,” “Miss Congeniality”) will executive produce “Arac Attack,” which is set to film in various locations in Arizona. The screenplay is by JESSE ALEXANDER and ELLORY ELKAYEM. JOHN BARTLEY is the director of photography, CHARLES BREEN is the production designer and DAVID J. SIEGEL is the editor. “Arac Attack” will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures worldwide and by Village Roadshow Pictures in select territories.
David Arquette is one of the most versatile actors today, able to move easily between comedy and drama. He recently completed production on two upcoming films, “3000 Miles to Graceland,”with Kurt Russell, Kevin Costner and Courteney Cox, and the comedy “See Spot Run,”in which he stars. Both films are from Warner Bros. Pictures.
Last fall, Arquette returned to his dramatic roots in “The Grey Zone,” with Harvey Keitel, Steve Buscemi and Mira Sorvino, and then took a starring role in “Happy Here and Now,”with Ally Sheedy. Following “Arac Attack” he will star in “Screenland” for acclaimed British director Suri Krishnamma.
Audiences took note of his comic turn in the hit “Never Been Kissed,” for which he received a Blockbuster Entertainment Award. Subsequently, he appeared in the comedy “Ready to Rumble.” It was his role as Deputy Dewey in the “Scream” trilogy that made his name a household word and also earned him another Blockbuster Award. Early in his career, Arquette was involved in numerous films that debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, including his starring role in “Dream With the Fishes,”which he also co-produced, “Johns,” in which he played the title character, and “The Alarmist,” co-starring Stanley Tucci and Kate Capshaw.
Kari Wuhrer was seen in the thriller “Anaconda,” appearing opposite Jon Voight, Eric Stoltz, Jennifer Lopez, and Ice Cube, and in “Phoenix,” starring with Ray Liotta and Anjelica Huston. Her additional film roles include “Stephen King’s Thinner,” and “The Crossing Guard,” starring Jack Nicholson and Anjelica Huston.
A Ford model at the age of 13, Wuhrer was cast in her first feature film, “Fire With Fire,” at 17. She appeared on MTV as a VJ and host of the popular mock quiz show “Remote Control.” After moving to Los Angeles, she landed principal roles on the Fox Network’s “Class of ‘96” and the ever-popular “Beverly Hills, 90210.”
New Zealand-born Ellory Elkayem (Director) debuted his writing, producing and directing ability at the 1998 Telluride Film festival with his film “Larger Than Life,” a 13-minute, black and white, 1950s-style science-fiction film. In an engaging combination of humor, horror and suspense, “Larger Than Life” tells the story of a small spider that gets exposed to a toxic substance, grows to monumental proportions as a result, and then terrorizes an unsuspecting woman in her home. When Roland Emmerich, who for some time had been thinking of making a giant spider feature, saw the short, he and Dean Devlin approached the young director. They teamed him with scribe Jesse Alexander to write and develop the script. that became “Arac Attack.”
Roland Emmerich (Producer) most recently directed and executive produced “The Patriot.” He also directed and executive produced “Godzilla,” which he also co-wrote with the film’s producer, Dean Devlin. He and Devlin worked together in the same capacities on the box-office phenomenon “Independence Day”and l994’s epic science-fiction adventure,“Stargate.”
Emmerich’s first American film was the l992 action-adventure hit “Universal Soldier,” starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. He also produced the thriller “The Thirteenth Floor.” Emmerich began his career in his native Germany with his student film, “The Noah’s Arc Principle,” which went on to open the l984 Berlin Film Festival. The feature became a huge success and was sold to more than 20 countries.
After the success of his first German film, Emmerich formed his own production company, Centropolis Film Productions, with which he produced and directed “Making Contact” and “Moon 44.”
Dean Devlin (Producer) produced “The Patriot” and co-wrote and produced the monster hit “Godzilla.” He also produced and co-wrote “Independence Day,” which has grossed over $800 million worldwide. In addition to his writer/producer duties on “Independence Day,” Devlin also served as 2nd unit director on the film. He co-wrote and produced the hit l994 film “Stargate,” with Roland Emmerich, and concurrently launched the first movie web site. He executive produced the science-fiction drama series “The Visitor,” along with Emmerich, for which he also wrote several episodes. Before his segue into producing, he was a successful Broadway, television and screen actor.
Devlin is a partner in Centropolis Entertainment, a multi-faceted entertainment organization that develops and produces a variety of ventures, including film, television, interactive, music and publishing projects.
Jesse Alexander (Screenwriter) co-wrote “Arac Attack” with director Ellory Elkayem. As a child in his home town of Santa Barbara, California, Alexander made several short films. He studied writing at Sarah Lawrence College and went on to earn his Masters degree at the American Film Institute. His screenplay, “Berserker,” is currently in development with director Alex Proyas. Alexander has several scripts in development with Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin’s Centropolis Entertainment. “Arac Attack” is his first produced screenplay.
Bruce Berman (Executive Producer) joined the production department of Warner Bros. and rose through the ranks of executives to become President of Worldwide Theatrical Production. Under his aegis, the studio produced and distributed such titles as the Oscar-winning “Driving Miss Daisy,” as well as “GoodFellas,” “Presumed Innocent,” “Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves,” “Batman Forever,” “Malcolm X,” “The Bodyguard,” “JFK,” “The Fugitive,” “Dave,” “A Time To Kill” and “Twister.” In 1996, Berman started Plan B Entertainment, the Warner Bros. Pictures-based independent production company which was later acquired by Village Roadshow Pictures. Village Roadshow Pictures, where Berman now holds the post of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, currently has 20 projects in various stages of development at Warner Bros. Pictures. Most recently, through Village Roadshow’s partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures, Berman served as executive producer on “Three Kings,” “The Matrix,” “Analyze This,” “Deep Blue Sea,” “Practical Magic,” “Space Cowboys” and Castle Rock Entertainment’s “Miss Congeniality.”
Peter Winther (Executive Producer), Senior Vice President of Production for Centropolis Entertainment and co-producer of “The Patriot” and “Godzilla,” was also the associate producer of the box-office phenomenon “Independence Day.”
He also associate produced the science-fiction adventure “Stargate,” which marked his third collaboration with the filmmaking duo of Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin. Winther’s first association with Emmerich and Devlin was on the science-fiction feature “Moon 44,” which Emmerich directed and co-wrote and in which Devlin starred. He rejoined the pair on “Universal Soldier,” which Emmerich directed and Devlin wrote, serving as Emmerich’s assistant.
As associate producer on “Independence Day” and “Stargate,” Winther oversaw the 2nd unit teams as well as the visual effects department on both films. His latest collaboration with the filmmaking duo was co-producing “The Patriot” and directing its second unit. # # #