Aussie filmmaker Greg Mclean will direct The Belco Experiment, his second US-set horror following the low budget (and yet-to-be-released) supernatural shocker 6 Miranda Drive. The movies comes from the pen of famed Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn (Super), who first made an impression with the horror-comedy Slither.
The Belco Experiment concerns a Battle Royale-type scenario where a sinister organisation located in South American (the Belco of the title), incarcerates its employees, telling them they must kill each other in order to survive, thus revealing the real nature of each individual.
“It was one of the most brilliantly written and compelling scripts I'd ever read,” says Mclean. “I'm a huge James Gunn fan both as a writer and director and we hit it off creatively in terms of what the film should be. He's great to work with, very smart and is incredibly passionate about movies and storytelling generally.”
Although Mclean says it’s too early to divulge more details, the Wolf Creek director teases it’ll be an intense experience for the audience.
“All I can say is I've never seen anything like it before. It'll definitely knock the audience off their chairs and take them on a thrilling, scary and sometimes deeply disturbing ride.”
The Belco Experiment will begin shooting in Bogata, Columbia in June, where coincidentally McLean will be to shoot his subsequent project, Jungle. The dramatic thriller is set in the Bolivian amazon and is based on the true story of Israel adventurer Yossi Ghinsberg’s daredevil escapades with two backpackers, as detailed in his 2008 memoir Lost in the Jungle: A Harrowing True Story of Adventure and Survival. The story has been adapted for the screen by Aussie scribe Justin Monjo (The Turning, Never Tear Us Apart), and will star Kevin Bacon in the lead, who Mclean previously worked with on 6 Miranda Drive.
“The script blew me away at first read, I instantly realised it's an amazing opportunity for all involved to be part of telling a very special story, that was the main appeal to me as a director,” says Mclean. “Yossi himself is a very inspirational person and his extraordinary tale of survival and the amazing rescue by his friend Kevin Gale, is just incredibly moving and powerful in that it speaks to what human beings are capable of when tested physically, spiritually and emotionally.”
Mclean confirms that some of the shoot will embrace Australian locations as well and that he’s looking forward to capturing the essence of Ghinsberg’s book. “It's unusual in that its equal parts adventure, horror and real poetic beauty but is ultimately extremely life affirming. It's certainly going to be a very challenging shoot, but the entire team is buzzing to get started and bring this incredible story to life.”
The Belco Experiment officially goes into production next month.
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