The Magnificent, Long-Awaited Return of John Landis
Love him or hate him, I honestly believe that John Landis has got to be one of the smartest guys working in Hollywood today. I saw an interview with him, this summer, about an episode of Fear Itself that he directed, and he’s one of the funniest, brightest, most brilliant guys I think I’ve ever heard talk. Either way – welcome him back to the world of film. Landis (An American Werewolf in London, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video), who saw his last feature film released in 1998 (It was Blues Brothers 2000 – which was two years too early and too late to take back), has really only done television and documentary work recently. But according to Variety he’s back… in double time!! The first of these projects Landis is reportedly attached to will be Burke and Hare, a true-life black comedy about the two eponymous grave-robbers in 19th century Edinburgh. No word on casting yet for the film, but it does have a start date set, for sometime next spring. Among the other projects Landis is signed on for are Ghoulishly Yours, a biopic of Mad magazine and EC Comics publisher William Gaines, and The Bone Orchard, which the helmer describes as a Western with Chinese vampires. A western with Chinese vampires? Good God. Welcome back Mr. Landis – we’ve missed you.
