"Bubba Nosferatu" Gets A Transfusion
According to SciFi Wire,
director Don Coscarelli
said plans for "Bubba
Nosferatu" - a prequel to his hilarious monster-fighting "Bubba Ho-tep"
movie - may be back on track after a series of major setbacks,
including the sale of the studio that owned the original title (MGM)
and the death of co-star
Ossie Davis.
But you can't stop the King, darlin. "Bubba Ho-tep," written and
directed by Coscarelli, is a dark comedy about an elderly Elvis, played
by Bruce Campbell, and black John F. Kennedy, played by Davis, who must
fight an ancient Egyptian mummy terrorizing patients in their nursing
home.
The final frames of the cult hit promised a sequel: "Bubba
Nosferatu: The Curse of the She-Vampire,"
starring Sebastian Haff, the fictional Elvis impersonator who
supposedly switched places with the real Elvis and then wouldn't switch
back. The promise was originally intended as a joke.
"I'm putting a big effort into doing 'Bubba Nosferatu'
now. The project has a life of its own," said Coscarelli, who is
working on the script in collaboration with writer Joe R. Lansdale, who
came up with the original short story. "People seem to want it. We just
have to get it finished." The original short story, written
by Lansdale, was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award,
while the screenplay for the film won a Bram Stoker Award in 2003.
The prequel will show the King in his 30s as he dabbles in
the world of black magic and voodoo. "Bruce can't wait to put his Elvis
jumpsuit back on again," Coscarelli said. "We hope to shoot this year."
"Bubba Ho-tep" got great buzz when it debuted at the
Toronto
International Film Festival in 2002, but had a very limited release to theaters
in 2003 - two
theaters its opening weekend, with its widest release at 25 total
theaters. As with many cult movies, it's biggest success has been
with the home video market.
Coscarelli teased that the potential
franchise could continue on indefinitely, throwing out a
title for the third film - "Bubba Sasquatch."
Elvis and Campbell. Perfect together. If you haven't seen "Bubba
Ho-tep," you should. It's hilarious - especially if you're an
Elvis or Bruce Campbell fan. The Elvis vs. scarab scene will have
you rolling on the floor. Now I just have to figure out who I
lent my copy of the DVD to so I can watch it again. -- Shannon
Nolley
