Picturehouse, the specialty film production house formed by New Line Cinema and HBO Films, didn't have a very long lifespan. First created back in 2005, their debut release being Gus Van Sant's Kurt Cobain study Last Days, the venture only lasted three years before closing its doors. In its time it did release some very interesting titles, from Oscar winners like Pan's Labyrinth and La Vie en Rose to titles like The Orphanage, The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters and Run, Fatboy Run, but the company simply couldn't stay running. But today could mark the start of its comeback story.
It has been announced that founder Bob Berney has made a deal to acquire the trademark and logo for Picturehouse from Warner Bros. and will officially be restarting the business beginning this summer. Their first release since 2008 will be the new film Metallica Through The Never, which will not only feature the members of the legendary metal group but also Chronicle and Amazing Spider-Man 2 star Dane DeHaan. According to a press release the young actor will play "a young band crew member who is sent out on an urgent mission while the band is playing a rousing live set in front of a sold-out crowd and unexpectedly finds his world turned completely upside down." Nimrod Antal, who directed Vacancy, Amored and, most recently, Predators, both wrote and directed the movie and Picturehouse will have it in theaters August 9th.
Said Mr. Berney of the new film, "Nim and the band have made a film that really captures the spirit of Metallica and their millions of loyal fans. It’s an entertaining genre film with a concert inside it, a fun ride featuring an exciting young actor, Dane DeHaan. It’s a very cool project to reboot Picturehouse with."
We hear about movie franchises rebooting so often it's strange when a studio does the same thing. It will be interesting to see it's development from here.
