‘Blair Witch’ Producer Reveals Why Creating Remakes Is Easier Than New Properties
Keith Calder is known for producing original movies, often with screenwriter Simon Barrett and director Adam Wingard, but his latest project “Blair Witch” is one of his first based on an existing property.
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Calder recently took to Twitter to explain some of the advantages that come with working on an existing IP as opposed to an original property. Here’s what he had to say over several tweets:
“[I]f you want to know why Hollywood keeps doing remakes and sequels and reboots and so on, here is a quick anecdote. I’ve been producing movies for 10 years at a variety of budgets. Almost all original. Most of them were well reviewed and liked by audiences. BLAIR WITCH was made for around the same budget as most of these movies. But the attention on this release is VASTLY higher than any of them. This is a movie that has no movie stars (just great actors) and literally the same writer and director as some of our other movies. The big difference is the BLAIR WITCH name and brand. It feels like riding a sled downhill instead of pushing a boulder uphill. The only reason I have the opportunity and skills to ride this sled downhill is because of the boulder-pushing over the last 10 years. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m going to keep making original movies. But I sure as hell am also going to try to do more movies based on big IP.”
Calder’s producing credits include “Anomalisa,” “The Guest,” “The Wackness,” “Faults,” “The Devil’s Candy,” You’re Next,” “Thunder Soul,” and “All the Boys Love Mandy Lane.”
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