"Piranha 3 DD."
This is what Hollywood has come to … and to borrow a line from McDonald's, I'm lovin' it!
Dimension Films has tapped John Gulager to direct a fast-tracked sequel to this summer's surprise hit "Piranha 3D," and set Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan ("Saw 3D") to write the script, an individual familiar with the project has confirmed to TheWrap.
As someone who paid a premium ticket price to see "Piranha 3D" in theaters and subsequently had a great time with the buckets of blood and scantily-clad women on display, the unsurprising news couldn't make this genre fanboy happier.
While Dimension and director Alexandre Aja caught some flack for the first film's 3D post-conversion (notably from 3D king James Cameron), I thought Aja delivered the goods and made one of the most entertaining movies I've seen all year.
The sequel will reunite the creative team behind Dimension's "Feast," the low-budget making of which was chronicled over the third season of Bravo's "Project Greenlight," which gave Gulager and the writers their starts on the big screen.
Since then, Gulager has gone on to direct two "Feast" sequels, while Melton and Dunstan have written the last four installments of the "Saw" franchise and set up a feature film based on "The Outer Limits" at MGM. Additionally, Dunstan directed the underrated horror film "The Collector," which is set to be sequelized soon.
Visually speaking, Gulager may not have the same directing chops that Aja does, but he is a multi-hyphenate who is more than capable behind the camera.
Dimension will have to race to put the film in theaters by late August 2011, but it's entirely possible.
Expect the original's surviving cast members to return alongside some fresh meat. Porn star Gianna Michaels' legs became fish food in the first film, so it's possible her more famous half could come back as dessert, or perhaps Gulager could cast another adult actress whose cup size matches the enhanced title of the sequel.
"Piranha 3D," which cost $40 million to make and market, has grossed $71 million worldwide so far, and still hasn't opened in several international territories.
Dunstan and Melton are represented by APA and Underground.
News of the "Piranha" sequel was first reported by Deadline.
