It looks like
Joss Whedon will be heading back to theaters
soon. No, it won't be Buffy or Serenity, but rather a thriller he
co-wrote called The Cabin in the Woods.
Variety reports that MGM has bought the script,
which was co-written by the film's director,
Drew Goddard. I know...it's a little bit of a
letdown knowing Whedon won't be directing, but it's a little exciting that
Goddard - a writing and producing vet of Buffy, Alias, and Lost
- should finally get a chance to direct. Especially when you weigh in the fact
that he wrote
Cloverfield.
We don't know much about the story, but I think we take
a guess. I mean, it's a thriller called The Cabin in the Woods. Probably
won't be a nice, relaxing weekend in the country.
What we do know is that the film marks something of a
milestone for MGM. One of the original major studios, MGM has not had a good run
lately. Here are their biggest hits from each of the past five years: Legally
Blonde 2, Barbershop 2, Be Cool, Casino Royale, Halloween...and nothing
really qualifies yet this year. One title stands out, although MGM has owned the
Bond rights for nearly decades, I believe.
I'm not kidding: Those are the studio's tentpoles over
the past half decade. Something needed to change and Mary Parent, the new head
of MGM's worldwide motion picture group, is trying to do that. This is the first
film greenlit on her watch, but dating back to March - when she was ceremonially
handed the baton - Metro has made a few aggressive moves, including the Denzel
Washington vehicle The Matarese Circle, based on a book by Robert Ludlum.
It's a good time to raid the Ludlum library, and of course, it's always a good
time to find out what Joss Whedon's up to.
Score one for MGM, I guess.