The effects of Twilight are still happening.
In publishing, editors are still looking for well-written dark and gritty urban fantasy featuring vampires and werewolves. But in Hollywood, which really lags a few years behind other pop culture, movies similar to Twilight have been wholly lacking, at least on the silver screen.
Until now.
Leonardo DiCaprio, superstar, decided to take the classic fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood and reshaping it in a Stephenie Meyer / gothic mold, where little red riding hood is now the epitome of sexy and the big bad wolf is a hunky werewolf.
Here is the twisted synopsis:
In Red Riding Hood, Amanda Seyfried plays Valerie, a beautiful young woman torn between two men. She is in love with a brooding outsider, Peter (Shiloh Fernandez), but her parents have arranged for her to marry the wealthy Henry (Max Irons). Unwilling to lose each other, Valerie and Peter are planning to run away together when they learn that Valerie’s older sister has been killed by the werewolf that prowls the dark forest surrounding their village.
For years, the people have maintained an uneasy truce with the beast, offering the creature a monthly animal sacrifice. But under a blood red moon, the wolf has upped the stakes by taking a human life. Hungry for revenge, the people call on famed werewolf hunter, Father Solomon (Gary Oldman), to help them kill the wolf. But Solomon’s arrival brings unintended consequences as he warns that the wolf, who takes human form by day, could be any one of them.
As the death toll rises with each moon, Valerie begins to suspect that the werewolf could be someone she loves. As panic grips the town, Valerie discovers that she has a unique connection to the beast–one that inexorably draws them together, making her both suspect…and bait.
Here is the first teaser trailer:
For those of you watching it and getting the Twilight vibe, it’s not surprising. The director of Red Riding Hood is Catherine Hardwicke, the woman who directed the first Meyer film.
Personally, I think this might work at the box office. People love the supernatural right now. And Team Jacob will undoubtedly be out to see this movie. Whether or not it works remains to be seen. I am a huge fan of Gary Oldman, so even I might go see this.
What do you think? A proper movie or simply cashing in on the Twilight craze?
Red Riding Hood will release March 2011!
