Now that the cast has been announced for the forthcoming Dead Rising movie, we're starting to get some more details about what the film will entail, above and beyond, y'know, zombies and violence.
According to director Zach Lipovsky, Dead Rising (the game series) is more than just a collection of well-worn notions lifted from old zombie movies. In an interview with SlashFilm, he said the game's premise "brings a lot of new energy to the genre."
Dead Rising, written by Mortal Kombat: Legacy producer Tim Carter, starts shooting in Vancouver this week. It will premiere exclusively on Sony's Crackle service in the U.S. prior to more general distribution via Content Media Corp. Lipovsky has previously directed Syfy TV movie Tasmanian Devils as well as Leprechaun: Origins.
Fun, scary, dramatic action
"The idea that you can be bitten and remain human as long as you take your medicine every day is very interesting and dramatic. Similar to the social stigma of living with HIV," he said. "Another very cool element from the game is the zombies remember a little bit about their previous lives. There is something really haunting about seeing a zombie cop randomly firing his gun, or a zombie mom pushing a stroller."
He said that playing Dead Rising 3 is giving him lots of ideas about tonal direction. "Every time I get scared or laugh while playing, I make a note to add it to the script. Tonally it will be like 'Indiana Jones with Zombies'. Fun, scary, dramatic action."
The cast includes Jesse Metcalfe (John Tucker Must Die, Desperate Housewives, Dallas) as the lead along with Meghan Ory (Once Upon A Time, Intelligence); Virginia Madsen (Sideways, Candyman, The Number 23); Dennis Haysbert (24, The Unit) and Keegan Connor Tracy (Bates Motel, Once Upon A Time, Battlestar Galactica).