aquatic alien civilization in Earth's oceans- new franchise

[jefferiestubes8]

feature-film subject: an alien civilization that's been living in the depths of Earth's oceans.

producer Neal Moritz is developing the franchise.

Moritz is based at Sony’s Columbia Pictures, he has a discretionary fund that would allow him to buy the rights to Mattel’s aquatic aliens and take them to another studio if Sony balks.

The Mattel execs decided that this idea had the most inherent "transmedia" options, which is the current buzzword for the potential to spiral off into every possible product

The lockstep toy and movie development plan is understood to be the brainchild of Mattel Brands president Neil Friedman

Jeff Gomez, CEO of the New York–based Starlight Runner Entertainment; the company helps studios flesh out a toy's "story" and create a bible for what that toy would and wouldn't do — its motivations, hopes, dreams, et cetera — to make a world that will best hold up as a movie.

(Gomez created the transmedia canon for Michael Bay’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.)

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/03/mattel_hollywood_new_movie_syn.html
via
Mattel Alien Franchise Coming

Sort of The Abyss (1989) meets "Surface" (2005) (TV series)?

 

[Theonethatis]

I think I will sit this one out. I liked it when it was called the Abyss

 

[iguana_tonante]

^ Yep. It might be interesting, but it has to do a really great job to avoid comparisons with The Abyss, which was a classic unto itself. I am not quivering with hope, that's for sure.

 

[melancholymecha]

I was thinking the other day someone needs to get the tech used for Avatar & make a movie about humanoid creatures set completely underwater. A fantasy that uses "merfolk" or a sci-fi exploration of an underworld civilization somewhat like mentioned in the OP. Imagine you can have all the actors doing their performances using the mo-cap, no need for them to get wet. In the past live action movies with this setting were practically impossible b/c of how difficult it is to do underwater scenes.

 

[SG-17]

Wow. I completely forgot about Surface. I used to love that show.

 

[AviTrek]

I was thinking the other day someone needs to get the tech used for Avatar & make a movie about humanoid creatures set completely underwater. A fantasy that uses "merfolk" or a sci-fi exploration of an underworld civilization somewhat like mentioned in the OP. Imagine you can have all the actors doing their performances using the mo-cap, no need for them to get wet. In the past live action movies with this setting were practically impossible b/c of how difficult it is to do underwater scenes.

It's called Avatar 2.