Summit Picks Up Distribution Rights For Ethan Hawke-Starring Found Footage Film

I miss Ethan Hawke. The actor has a large number of fantastic titles on his resume, including Training Day, Before Sunset, and Gattaca, but his last great title, Before The Devil Knows Your Dead, came out back in 2007 and Daybreakers and Brooklyn’s Finest weren’t exactly his finest work. It’s possible what he needs to do is just change it up a bit, and perhaps a micro-budget horror film could do the trick.

Deadline reports that Summit Entertainment has picked up the rights to an untitled found footage movie that is set to be directed by Exorcism of Emily Rose filmmaker Scott Derrickson with Hawke in the starring role. Jason Blum, who is known for backing the Paranormal Activity movies has signed on as a producer and while it hasn't been confirmed, it's expected that the budget will be under $5 million. Shooting is scheduled to begin in September.

For those that are tired of the found footage subgenre, it seems that they are mixing it up a bit. Hawke will play a journalist who takes his family around the country writing books about gruesome murders. Stopping at a house where a murder took place, Hawke discovers a tape that "unveils horrifying clues beyond what caused the original tragedy."

Okay, so maybe it sounds a bit too much like Kalifornia meets The Ring, but it still might be interesting. Before reading the plot synopsis, I was actually kind of hoping that the movie be in the style of Paranormal Activity and have Hawke playing himself, but I suppose that could be a little too much.