Joe Johnston (‘Captain America: The First Avenger‘,’The Wolfman’) did wonders for Steve Rogers in the first Captain America film (well I loved it at least) and now he’s coming back once again for a new science fiction film! This time, he’s going to be doing something new to his directing lineup and using a topic that doesn’t get enough love on the big screen: an alien invasion film. ‘Extinction’ is going to be a “contained sci-fi thriller” that is written by Spenser Cohen whose only previous writing work was a made for TV show ‘Macklemore’s Big Surprise’ that starred Thrift Shop sensation Macklemore himself.
That doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing as everyone has to start somewhere. Hell, Oren Peli (‘Chernobyl Diaries‘,’Area 51’) started off by writing ‘Paranormal Activity‘ and has made a huge franchise out of it and name for himself at the same time. So it’s always good to see what new talent can bring to the table, specially in our genre!
While the producers on the film are keeping most of the details quiet at the moment, we were able to find out that the movie “does involve a man trying to save his family with an alien invasion figuring into the proceedings.” Could the film be getting some inspiration from ‘Falling Skies‘ on that one? I wouldn’t complain because while it’s not a perfect show, it does a LOT of things right when it comes to a post apocalyptic world during an alien invasion. It has also given us some feasible ways and reasons a resistance could actually work , that is, of course, if we’re not being wiped out right off the bat.
While I have my hopes up, the script has been vaguely compared to ‘The Sixth Sense’ and ‘Cloverfield‘. I’m not sure how the first would really factor in, though I’m hoping the ‘Cloverfield’ reference is due to the visual destruction or giant monsters and not another shaky cam movie. Sure it worked for ‘Cloverfield’, but I really could use less shake (even with a big budget) and more properly done post-apocalyptic special effects.
Are you interested in finding out more about ‘Extinction’ or are you worried about that ‘Cloverfield’ comparison?
Source: Slashfilm
