Beastly is an upcoming
2010 fantasy romance feature
film, based on
Alex Flinn's 2007
novel of the same name. The film is
written and directed by
Daniel Barnz
and stars
Alex Pettyfer,
Vanessa Hudgens,
Mary Kate Olsen,
Neil Patrick Harris and
Lisa Gay Hamilton. The plot focuses on
Kyle Kingson, a handsome man with an evil streak, who ditches a
classmate who is a witch in disguise during an environmental bash.
The witch, then, casts a spell on Kyle and physically transforms
him into a grotesque monster. It will be distributed to theaters by
CBS Films on
July
30,
2010.
Plot
Kyle Kingson (
Alex Pettyfer) has it
all – looks, intelligence, wealth and opportunity – and a wicked
cruel streak. Prone to mocking and humiliating “aggressively
unattractive” classmates, he zeroes in on Goth classmate Kendra
Hilferty (
Mary Kate Olsen), inviting
her to the school’s extravagant environmental bash. Kendra accepts,
and, true to form, Kyle blows her off in a particularly savage
fashion. She retaliates by casting a spell that physically
transforms him into everything he despises. Enraged by his horrible
and unrecognizable appearance he confronts Kendra and learns that
the only solution to the curse is to find someone that will love
him as he is – a task he considers impossible.
Repulsed by his
appearance, Kyle’s callous father (Peter
Krause) banishes him to Brooklyn
with a
sympathetic housekeeper (Lisa Gay
Hamilton) and blind tutor (Neil
Patrick Harris).
As Kyle ponders how to overcome the curse and get his old life
back, he chances upon a drug addict in the act of killing a
threatening dealer. Seizing the opportunity, Kyle promises the
addict freedom and safety for his daughter, Linda Taylor (
Vanessa Hudgens) if she will consent to live
in Kyle’s Brooklyn home. Thus begins Kyle’s journey to discover
true love in this hyper-modern retelling of the classic “
Beauty and the Beast” story.
Cast
- Alex Pettyfer as Kyle
Kingson/Hunter: the handsome man with an ugly streak who gets
transformed when he ditches a girl at his school in a school event.
The producers released a statement that they were seeking a teen
actor in the vein of Robert
Pattinson for the role of Kyle. Pettyfer was in negotiations to
star as Kyle, and was eventually officially cast in late April 2009. Pettyfer had gained
12-15 pounds of muscle for the role and had to shave his hair.
- Vanessa Hudgens as Linda Taylor:
the "beauty" of the story. Hudgens remarked that she fell for this
project from the moment she read Barnz's screenplay. Out of the
rest of the cast, Hudgens' involvement was first heard in early
April.
- Mary-Kate Olsen as Kendra
Hilferty: the eccentric girl behind Kyle's transformation. Olsen
was cast in early June, 12 days prior to filming, for the role of
Kendra.
- Neil Patrick Harris as Will
Fratalli: Kyle's blind tutor.
- Lisa Gay Hamilton as Zola: the
Kingson's maid.
- Peter Krause as Rob Kingson: Kyle's
father.
- Dakota Johnson as Sloane
Hagen
- Erik Knudsen as Trey Parker
- Gio Perez as Victor
Production
Development
| I was very inspired by 'Say
Anything.' I thought there was this kind of rawness and visceral
qualities of those years. Being 18 and 19 and what those years are
like. So, I wanted to translate that into this film as well.—Daniel
Barnz, director of Beastly on writing the screenplay |
Alex Flinn's
2007
supernatural romance novel,
Beastly was adapted into a film
produced by
CBS Films. On
February 2009, it was announced
by
CBS Films President and Chief Executive
Officer Amy Baer that
Daniel Barnz was
hired to direct and write the screenplay, after CBS Films bought
the feature rights to
Beastly back in
December 2007, with the option
of
HarperTeen. This will be one of the
first projects to be put into development by CBS Films. Susan
Cartsonis is producing the film through her company, Storefront
Films while Roz Weisberg is co-producer.
CBS Films president and CEO Amy Baer spoke positively on the new
director, saying, "Daniel’s fresh vision makes him one of the most
exciting directors of his generation,’ Baer said. ‘We are thrilled
to partner with him as he brings his unique voice to arguably the
most universally resonant myth in storytelling."
Initially, the executives hoped for a late
2008
theatrical release but the
WGA strike has
delayed that strategy. Barnz anticipates bringing an indie
sensibility to Flinn's story. "It's a very commercial idea that I
get to tell in a highly artistic fashion," he said. Barnz
stated:
There was this sort of hyper-modern version of this
story and that it was told from his perspective, which we'd never
seen before and thematically, because it's all about beauty and how
you look and inner beauty that this was such a great story set in
the teenage world and for teenagers, because it has such a great
message to it.
In writing the script, Barnz was inspired by the film,
Say Anything and
Twilight. He wrote the script and
thought about what was it like to be 18 or 19 years of age. But
Barnz still based the screenplay on the novel, saying he
"immediately fell for it, because I saw that there was an amazing
opportunity to tell a modern version of this fairytale and I loved
the idea of it." Barnz remarked that he was happy to see the story
told through the beast's perspective that it focused more on the
romance than the supernatural.
Barnz previously directed
Phoebe in Wonderland which also
focuses around a plot that pays homage to a fairy tale only with a
different modern twist, praised the book and said:
The studio originally had the book and I immediately
fell for it, because I saw that there was an amazing opportunity to
tell a modern version of this fairytale and I loved the idea of
it.
There was this sort of hyper-modern version of this
story and that it was told from his perspective, which we'd never
seen before and thematically, because it's all about beauty and how
you look and inner beauty that this was such a great story set in
the teenage world and for teenagers, because it has such a great
message to it.
Design
Alex Pettyfer once said in an interview that he only looks like his
normal self in the film for a few minutes. For the rest of his time
frame, he will be wearing a specially designed "grotesque" prop as
the beast. Pettyfer's appearance in the film mostly featured him
with his beast prosthetics. As described in the novel, it was
supposed to be "hairy" and "gross", but the film makers did some
slight revisions. Pettyfer was delighted with the revision and
stated:
I was very happy to know I wasn't going to be
furry.
Question is, were you happy I wasn't
furry?
Well, I think the audience will be happy.
This beast make-up is phenomenal.
You're talking to someone who is a fanatic about it
[prosthetics and movie make-up] and I've never seen anything that
looks remotely similar to this.
Pettyfer's beast makeup was composed of 67 pieces. There are 7
pieces to be put on his head and other 60 tattoos and individual
scars applied when he had the full body make up on. The facial
prosthetics and tatoos took almost three hours to apply, and to put
on the full body makeup took the artists 6 hours to finish.
Pettyfer commented on his 'transformation':
It really affected me because as soon as I shaved my
head it kind of put me in this weird place, the same place [Kyle is
in after his transformation] which really helped me with the role a
lot.
But at the same time, it kind of is a challenge because
you are fighting personally with your own problems off set, but
then onset you have a great resource to go to.
Tony Gardner and Alterian, Inc. were responsible for the design and
creation of the prosthetics and tattoos. Their work also includes
John Travolta as Edna Turnblad for the "
Hairspray " movie, as well as the more
recent "
Zombieland." Jamie Kelman handled
the daily application of the prosthetic makeup on Alex Pettyfer.
Hudgens described the beast's look as "crazy" and that it moved her
in "a really weird and peculiar way." Several days before the
announced production date, several members of the cast were
photographed while headed to a wardrobe studio for fittings. The
costumes and the wardrobes used in the film were designed by
Suttirat Anne Larlarb, who is known for her Academy Award winning
work for the film
Slumdog
Millionaire.
Filming
Beastly is one of the first feature films to be produced
and distributed by
CBS films with a budget
of $20 million for filming and marketing.
With more than 300
Quebecers hired to become extras for the film, production began on
June 13, 2009 in Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
and ended in
August of the same year. They shot some scenes in Old
Montreal and Laval.
The Mount Royal
Park in Montreal was used as one of their settings, in which it
was the equivalent of Central Park
in New York and other outside locations for the
film as well.
The Quebec government announced on June 12, 2009 that it was
increasing its tax credit for foreign producers making films and TV
shows here from 25 per cent of labour expenses to 25 per cent of
the entire budget of productions shot here, and
Beastly
was one of the film productions who chose to film in Montreal,
before the announcement of tax-paying increase was
pronounced.
Hudgens left for Montreal after the
MTV
Movie Awards, saying that filming would start that week. "I'm
laid-back about it," she said. On
June 4,
2009, Hudgens and Pettyfer arrived in Montreal.
Neil Patrick Harris headed to Montreal to shoot his scenes, and at
the same time, for his lead role in an independent film. Local
Montreal diner Place Milton is featured as Cafe Santiago. Hudgens
was the first to wrap up, because she had to promote her film,
Bandslam.
Marketing
The first teaser trailer was released on
November 20,
2009 during the
previews of
New Moon.
The 23-second teaser received reactions and comments from
commercial sites. Annie Barrett of
Entertainment Weekly remarks that
"Alex Pettyfer is giving off more of a (Disney pretty-boy)
Gaston vibe than the Beast here. Andrew Peters of
HeyUGuys as "one of the worst film promos I have ever
seen. The teaser actually makes this big budget theatrical release
look more like a TV movie or even a TV series."
Merchandising
Though it was still the first days of principal photography for
Beastly,
CBS Films has already
announced that
Beastly will have apparel and accessories,
social expressions and gaming eyed for consumer product treatment
for the film's marketing.
Release
The film
will be distributed by CBS films to the
US
on July 30, 2010. It will be then released to Malaysia
on October 28, 2010. Sony
Pictures will be handling all international distribution.
Reception
It ranked #45 in
The Times' 50 Biggest
Movies Of 2010.
References
- 'Beastly' Halloween Treat Features Mary-Kate
Olsen
- (June 3, 2009)
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