Christopher Webster [Celluloid 05.28.09] post apocalyptic movie news scifi horror thriller



"And he (Jesus) asked him (the man), 'What is thy name?' And he answered, saying, 'My name is Legion: for we are many.'" -- The Gospel of Mark, 5:9

You may not have heard the name Scott Stewart, but he's been the senior FX wunderkind on such balls-to-the-wall FX flicks as Grindhouse, The Host, Sin City and Iron Man so the fact that he's chosen Legion to be his directorial debut is an exciting prospect.

For those of you who are just hearing about the project for the first time, Legion is an upcoming post-apocalyptic film that follows a few survivors on the day that God decides to abandon humanity and let all the nasty demons who've been trying to get a hold of our mortal souls have their wish. Until now, that's basically all anyone's known about the project. However, we just received a bunch of info about the film including a complete plot outline, and a word from the director on what we can expect the film to look and feel like. It basically put our geese all in a gander so we thought we'd share what we've learned with you.

Scott Stewart on Legion's influences:
"I conceived LEGION more as a comic book action movie than a straight horror film. Despite the obvious horror elements, my primary influence when writing it was less DAWN OF THE DEAD or 28 DAYS LATER, and more the original TERMINATOR with its blend of intense action and inventive mythology.

Stylistically, I intend to ground the fantastic nature of the story in a gritty and realistic visual style. I want the audience to feel like they've been dropped right in the middle of the action, so they, like the characters in the film, experience the terror and chaos in a very direct and visceral way. In that regard, the best visual comparison to LEGION are not other horror films but contemporary war films like PLATOON and SAVING PRIVATE RYAN."

So, if the idea of a full scare biblical apocalypse wasn't enough, we'll also be treated to a picture that takes is cues from intense combat films. Straight up awesome. The fact that Stewart is also interested in steeping the film in Terminator style mythology makes me wonder if he's got plans for a franchise here.

Read more about the film's The Mist meets Saving Private Ryan plot after the break. And yes there's a major SPOILER WARNING here.


Here is an extended plot outline for the film. Please note that, in the interest of not ruining the film, we've not included even half of what we know happens in the film.

Synopsis:
Without warning, on the night of December 23rd, the prisoners inside a Los Angeles jail go berserk, tearing each other apart. Only one is left standing: MIKE. Meanwhile, in the tiny Mojave desert town of Paradise Falls, JEEP HANSEN awakens from yet another fever dream and begins to draw. His walls are covered with nightmarish visions of fantastic creatures and heroes, including demon lord BELIAL and a mysterious figure... who looks an awful lot like MIKE.

Later that day while Jeep is working on a car the sky darkens. a mysterious black car arrives and the elderly GLADYS emerges. Inside the diner, BOB, pregnant actress CHARLIE, the LYMANS, cook PERCY, and suspicious patron KYLE watch Gladys eat a rare and bloody steak. Gladys then revels herself to be a hideous creature and attacks Howard and Bob. Kyle kills her with his .45. The diner is surrounded by thousands of flies, the power goes out and the group is trapped inside.

Mike arrives in a police car and distributes weapons to the group. He reveals that they are witnessing the first signs of a war between humans and a horde of the devil's minions. The demon-creatures converge on the diner and attack. The group fights back. While awaiting the next onslaught, Jeep finds a transmission on the radio explaining that all of human kind is under siege by demons. Apparently Las Vegas is the only haven left. Amidst the chaos, Charlie's water suddenly breaks and Audrey helps her deliver a baby boy.

In an acrobatic and action-packed finale Mike and Belial...

Sorry everyone, we don't want to give away the ending. And yes, we know what happens to every single character.

Legion is set to star a pretty big cast of Dennis Quaid, Paul Bettany, Tyrese Gibson, Kate Walsh, Kevin Durand and Lucas Black.

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pat (12 years ago) Reply

DENNIS QUAID IS THE BAIN OF MY EXISTENCE.
plot sounds a lot like the mist. probably too many, rather bland characters for which we wont care at all. still, it might an enjoyable ride.

SeeminglySquare (12 years ago) Reply

I'm jealous that you know the ending and glad you didn't tell me.

agentorange (12 years ago) Reply

It's pretty spoilery as it is so I figured ruining the ending would just be mean. I will say this though, because I forgot to mention it in the post, the character of Mike is (if you didn't already guess it) the archangel Michael and Gabriel makes an appearance.

Certainly sounds interesting.

filmacre (12 years ago) Reply

I hope Paul Bettany plays Mike.

agentorange (12 years ago) Reply

@filmacre

Yep, Bettany is indeed playing Mike.

sonaboy (12 years ago) Reply

so it stars Dennis Quaid and not Kirk Cameron?
that's a small nugget of relief.

KWaddict (12 years ago) Reply

What's the name of the character played by Kate Walsh? Charlie, Audrey or Gladys? Pls I really need to know it! :)

Cathy (12 years ago) Reply

KWaddict- Kate Walsh is playing Sandra Anderson. Adrianne Palicki is playing Charlie, Jeanette Miller is Gladys and Audrey is being played by Willa Holland.

AspiringActress (12 years ago) Reply

I know the ending - it's pretty awesome - and only because I have a scene from the script from an acting class and my coach knows the storyline. Though, I must say, I didn't realize it was from a movie that has yet to be released! Pretty darn cool!

777 (11 years ago) Reply

This movie is a joke

Unpadcabmam (9 years ago) Reply

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