Sequels & Reinterpretations

To do or not to do sequels and reinterpretations took quite a while for the filmmakers involved in "The Pink Panther," "Big Momma's House" and "The Hills Have Eyes."

For more than a decade, the much-loved franchise of "The Pink Panther" has lain dormant. Its reintroduction to contemporary audiences is reliant on finding the perfect actor to step into the role of Inspector Jacques Closeau - in which Steve Martin was the perfect choice. According to the new "Pink Panther" director Shawn Levy, "The Closeau character is a homage to silent film comics like Chaplin and Keaton. As imagined by the Blake Edwards ("Pink Panther" director in 1963), the character referenced silent film comedy where the humor was physical rather than verbal. In the same way that those classic film comics have endured for nearly a century now, Closeau's intuitive, physical humor is equally timeless.

In the action-packed comedy, "The Pink Panther" misadventures kick off when France's famous soccer coach was killed. The murder becomes a media sensation and a national obsession. Cracking the case falls to Chief Inspector Dreyfuss (Kevin Kline), who is up for the prestigious medal of honor. Aware that he cannot afford to make a single mistake - Dreyfuss presses the indefatigable Closeau into service.

Likewise, the decision to produce a sequel for "Big Momma's House" is not just jumping into the Momma suit for Martin Lawrence. "First and foremost," Lawrence states, "the ingredients for a sequel had to be right. The script had to be funny. Very funny. And, fortunately, it was."

"Coordinating Martin Lawrence's schedule and understanding that the sequel had to be as good - if not even better - than the original, factored into five-year gap between the first Big Momma's House and its follow-up," says producer David T. Friendly. "We knew all along that we wanted to make it. The challenge was in getting it all right."

In "Big Momma's House 2," Lawrence puts on once again the Big Momma suit. In the movie, Malcolm (Lawrence) finds himself caught between being a hotshot at work and a good father and husband at home while tracking down a suspect that threatens national security.

From 1977…flash forward 30 years after, "The Hills Have Eyes" is now revived. Inspired by the wild imagination of suspense-master Craven - comes a contemporary reinterpretation of "The Hills Have Eyes" from the cutting-edge filmmakers, Alexandre Aja and Gregory Levasseur (from the hit movie "High Tension") which tells of the story of a family trip gone terribly wrong.

The original version (1977) of "The Hills Have Eyes" was made with a skeleton crew of just 15 members for a paltry $325,000 in the desert community of Victorville, CA. Intrigued by the astonishing success of such horror remakes as "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Amityville Horror," Craven and his producing partners began pondering the possibility of revisiting "The Hills Have Eyes."

In order to re-introduce this horror classic to contemporary audiences, Craven knew it would take up-to-the-minute verve and style, so he and his production team began to look for a rising young director to bring fresh perspective to the project. The position was going to be extremely tough to fill.

After viewing 'High Tension,' Craven knew instantly that Alexandre Aja and Gregory Levasseur concludes the crucial search in reinventing The Hills Have Eyes. "With 'High Tension,' Alex and Gregory demonstrated a multi-faceted understanding of what is profoundly terrifying," comments Craven. "After viewing the film and then meeting the film makers, I knew I wanted to work with them."

Alex and Gregory immediately responded with excitement and passion to the unique proposition of approaching the story of "The Hills Have Eyes" with their own fresh vision. For these two cinema addicts, it was a dream come true - the chance to re-imagine one of their favorite films, under the supervision of its original creator yet with the freedom to take it in new directions.

From 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros., "The Pink Panther," "The Hills Have Eyes" and "Big Momma's House 2" will open very soon in theaters nationwide.