GREMLINS Director to Develop Romeo and Juliet Werewolf and Vampire Film
Art by Ben-G-Gelenhuys
Gremlins director Joe Dante is developing an interesting new film project called Ombra Amore. The filmmaker will use Rome's underground setting to tell the story, which brings together the classical Romeo and Juliet tale with werewolves, vampires, and the financial-crisis-ridden Italy. Here's a breakdown of the story from THR:
Pete is a werewolf whose pack is a crew of hotheaded financial traders responsible for Italy's current economic crisis. Maggie is a vampire whose family is a formerly wealthy aristocratic clan brought to bankruptcy by the greedy werewolves. Surrounded by other-worldly troubles, it remains to be seen whether or not their love can survive among the warring families.
It sounds like it will be better than the Twilight franchise. I'm a fan of Joe Dante's work, and I'd like to think that he could turn this story into a great movie. Hollywood is big on these supernatural love stories right now, but it doesn't mean they are all bad. One of my favorites in recent years has been Warm Bodies. Dante said,
"Rome. The Eternal City of Gods and Monsters, where a she-wolf suckled Romulus and Remus. And what could be more eternal than un-death?"
According to the report, the film has a budget of around $14.6 million, and Dante promises "a compelling new take on a classic genre." I'm curious to see how it turns out.