"Blair Witch" Director Talks About His New Bigfoot Trilogy

"Blair Witch" Director Eduardo Sanchez Talks Bigfoot

“The film is the first in a trilogy exploring and reinventing the Bigfoot myth,” Sanchez said. “We all remember the terror of watching such classics as ‘The Legend of Boggy Creek,’ and I look forward to making Bigfoot scary again.” -- Eduardo Sanchez

Another Sasquatchploitation movie. (Read our top 51 Sasquatchploitation movies) Except this one has a big budget behind. Not only does it have a familiar director, Eduardo Sanchez from "Blair Witch" fame, it will star creature celebrity Brian Steele as Bigfoot whom will be costumed and designed by WETA workshop, famous for Lord of the Rings, King Kong, and Avatar.

Below is  short excerpt from an interview from Collider.com

SANCHEZ: I just wrapped a movie. I never really say this about any of my movies when I wrap because you just never know, but I think this next movie is going to be big. It’s a Bigfoot movie, and I’ve been trying to make a Bigfoot movie since I was 16 years old. This is the third Bigfoot script that I’ve been involved with and helped write. It’s called Exists, and we just wrapped in Austin, Texas. I’ve tried to do some Bigfoot movies with the studios, and the studios were always very hesitant because nobody knows if Bigfoot stuff will work. Part of what makes it fun is the idea of, “Is this going to work?” But, one of our assistant editors cut a quick trailer for it, as we were shooting it, and it looks really, really great. It seems like I may have made the film that I’ve been waiting to watch, since I was a teenager. Who the hell knows, if it will be any good at all, but right now, I’m feeling really optimistic about it. I’m really excited about it.

Do you know what you’ll be doing after that?

SANCHEZ: I don’t know. I’m going to take the summer off and maybe write a little bit, and then I have some other scripts that I’m working on. Right now, I’m working on the post for the Bigfoot movie, and then I’ll see what happens after that.

Is Exists done with found footage?

SANCHEZ: Yes, it’s actually the first found footage movie that I’ve done since Blair Witch. It’s totally found footage. I was going to use a similar technique to Lovely Molly, where I mixed them, but the closer I got to shooting it, it just started making more sense to do it the other way. Everything that I’ve seen Bigfoot in is all found footage. It’s always people with a video camera or a film camera, capturing him, so that seemed to be the right way to film the movie. I’m very happy I did it because it helped us out with production and it also gives it a real creepy vibe that would have been hard to get, if I had shot it normally. I’m happy with it. We spent a lot of money on the suit. WETA, the guys who did The Lord of the Rings, designed the suit, and Spectral Motion, who are Academy Award nominated effects guys, built the suit. Brian Steele was the guy in the suit, and he’s a famous creature guy. It was pretty amazing. I also really enjoyed shooting in Texas. I’m looking forward to that. I haven’t looked forward to one of my movies this much in a long time, probably since film school., so I’m pretty excited about it. You never know what you have, but it feels like we have something special, so I’m hoping and keeping my fingers crossed.

'Blair Witch' Director Reinvents Bigfoot in 'Exists'

Brian Steele has been cast as Bigfoot  in Exist, past credits include
Hellboy, Predator, Underworld and Terminator Salvation (click pic to enlarge)

"The film is the first in a trilogy exploring and reinventing the Bigfoot myth. We all remember the terror of watching such classics as THE LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK, and I look forward to making Bigfoot scary again." -- "Exist" director Eduardo Sanchez.

Another Sasquatchploitation movie. (Read our top 51 Sasquatchploitation movies) Except this one has a big budget behind it. Not only does it have a familiar director, Eduardo Sanchez from "Blair Witch" fame, it will star creature celebrity Brian Steele as Bigfoot whom will be costumed and designed by WETA workshop, famous for Lord of the Rings, King Kong, and Avatar.

Exist is in the News againa as Casting has been complete and production has been given a start date; April 9, 2012. Below is a collection of reports from around the web, conveniently collected for you fans.

VARIETY -  JUN 27, 2011

Bigfoot 'Exists' in new film

By DAVE MCNARY

Haxan Films and Amber Entertainment are looking for Bigfoot, setting an October start date for lensing "Exists," with "Blair Witch Project" director Eduardo Sanchez to helm.

"Exists," written by Jamie Nash and Sanchez, follows a group of twentysomethings who take a trip to a cabin deep in the wooded wilderness and are methodically hunted by a Bigfoot-like beast.

"The film is the first in a trilogy exploring and reinventing the Bigfoot myth," Sanchez said. "We all remember the terror of watching such classics as 'The Legend of Boggy Creek,' and I look forward to making Bigfoot scary again."

Robin Cowie, Gregg Hale and Andy Jenkins of Haxan and Jane Fleming and Mark Ordesky of Amber are producing.

Weta Workshop and Spectral Motion are collaborating with the production team on the design and build of the monster, to be portrayed by Brian Steele ("Hellboy," "Predators," the "Underworld" trilogy). The film will be shot outside Austin, Texas, at Spiderwood Studios, and casting will begin in August with a focus on unknown actors. SRC: Variety

FEARNET - APR 6, 2012

Cast Selected for "Exist"
by Alyse Wax

Eduardo Sanchez, the man behind The Blair Witch Project and the upcoming Lovely Molly has announced his next film: Exists.  Hit the jump for more.

Returning to the found-footage style that launched his career, Exists follows a group of friends on a weekend camping trip who discover they are being stalked by Bigfoot. Jamie Nash (Lovely Molly, Altered) wrote the script, with an ensemble cast that includes Dora Madison Burge (Humans Versus Zombies), Roger Edwards (Spy Kids 4), Denise Williamson (Spirit Camp), and newcomers Chris Osborn and Samuel Davis. SRC: FearNet.com

WE ARE MOVIE GEEKS - April 5, 2012

Haxan Films And Amber Entertainment To Start Production On EXISTS April 9, 2012

By Michelle McCue

Haxan Films and Amber Entertainment announced today they will start production on EXISTS on April 9th at Spiderwood Studios in Elgin, TX with Eduardo Sanchez (The Blair Witch Project, Lovely Molly) directing.

Produced by Robin Cowie, Jane Fleming, Andy Jenkins and Mark Ordesky. The screenplay is written by Jamie Nash. The ensemble cast includes Dora Madison Burge, Samuel Davis, Roger Edwards, Chris Osborn and Denise Williamson. Brian Steele (Predators, Hellboy), the well-known “suit actor” will play Bigfoot. The film’s Executive Producers are Gregg Hale and Reed Frerichs.

EXISTS is Sanchez’s first foray into found footage since The Blair Witch Project. The film is a horror-thriller that chronicles a group of friends who set out into a remote Texas woods for a weekend of fun and are stalked and hunted by Bigfoot.

This is the second film produced under a multi-picture collaboration between Haxan Films (Blair Witch Project) and Amber Entertainment (The Frozen Ground). The first, Lovely Molly garnered critical acclaim after bows at the Midnight Madness lineup at Toronto and SXSW and is being released by Image Entertainment on May 18th. Production Designer Andrew White and Cinematographer John W. Rutland are also returning.

Sanchez and Haxan Films are repped by APA, Caliber Media and Stuart Rosenthal. Burge is repped by Tag Talent with Davis, Edwards and Osborn repped by Collier Talent. Williamson is repped by Pastorini-Bosby Talent. SRC: WeAreMovieGeeks.com