'Plan 9': Remaking the Worst Movie Ever Made

In 50 years, will a new generation of filmmakers begin to remake the dung heap that is the filmography of Uwe Boll? Boll is after all the first consensus "Worst Director Alive" since Ed Wood, and now director John Johnson has his sites set on re-crafting Wood's gloriously bad Plan 9 From Outer Space. Jo Blo snagged a press release from the producers of the remake, who indicate that the new version will "honor the original," which seems nearly impossible.

For the benefit of those who haven't seen the either Plan 9 or the Tim Burton biopic Ed Wood (which might be Burton's best movie), the film was made for next to nothing and starred Los Angeles TV celebrity Vampira, the shell of Bela Lugosi, and a former wrestler named Tor Johnson. Aliens visited our planet and brought the dead back to life in an effort to take over the world. It's a terrible story and the film features the worst acting ever seen until Roger Clemens' Congressional hearing.

So what's there to take seriously?

Simply titled Plan 9, the remake will be a serious-minded retelling of the original story, paying homage to the spirit of Wood's film without resorting to camp or parody. The film will focus on the horror and science fiction aspects of the original, but will also be largely character-driven. Johnson's goal for Plan 9 is to make a film that honors not only the original source material, but also Ed Wood's intentions when he made Plan 9 From Outer Space. Wood's plan was to make a very scary sci-fi/horror film, and Johnson wishes to do exactly that - create a film that Wood would have enjoyed, or perhaps even made himself, if not bound by the technological limitations placed on filmmakers 50 years ago.

The remake has shrewdly penciled in September 9th of next year as its release date - 09.09.09 - which will apparently coincide with the 50th anniversary DVD edition of Wood's original. Check out the official website of the remake for updates.And because we can, here's the trailer for the original Plan 9 From Outer Space, featuring a sterling introduction by Criswell.

Comments

[Will]

Any word on whether or not Uwe Boll is available to direct?

[Orinn]

Oh Zing