Sam Raimi Developing Alien Invasion Movie ‘EDF’, Aka “Earth Defense Force”
Sam Raimihas dealt with ghouls, ghosts, demons and other such undead variants, but now he’s angling to bring extraterrestrials to the big screen, and he’s deep into negotiations with Warner Bros. to help him.
The film is tentatively titledEDF, which stands for “Earth Defense Force”, and deals, appropriately, with “Earth’s response to an imminent alien invasion”. Raimi won’t direct, but will seek out a director shortly. Learn more after the break.
Vulturehas read the script and describes it as a mix ofTop Gun,Independence DayandThe Last Starfighter, meaning we can expect lots of aerial battles with fighter jets.
They also offer an in-depth summation of the conflict that sets the plot in motion:
In EDF, we open on a U.S. military operation gone awry: Sent to rescue what they believe is a sub that’s accidentally bumped into a mine in Chinese waters, U.S. naval aviators quickly wind up engaged in a dogfight with a squadron of Chinese air force pilots. Soon, planes on both sides are being shot out of the sky, but not by the Chinese or US pilots, but by three alien attack fighters, which soon depart and destroy many of the world’s landmarks and military installations, then, vanish. It’s a test of Earth’s defensive capabilities, and we failed. Shortly after, NASA detects a radiation signature in a nearby galaxy, indicating a far more massive attack coming in about ten months, and world leaders set about trying to create super-aircraft and weapons that can fight off the coming invasion.
Working alongside Raimi on the deal is producerBill Block(District 9,W.), with a script byAir Force OnescreenwriterAndrew Marlowe, who apparently has a thing for aircrafts. Marlowe is also the creator ofCastle, and wrote a script for aNick Furymovie that may or may not happen depending on how successfulThe Avengersis.
If all goes as planned, EDF will top an already full workload for Raimi. Nothing is concrete, but he’smeant to directtheWorld of Warcraftmovie andOz, the Great and Powerful,as well asa re-imagining of the story of Wyatt Earp,Earp: Saints for Sinners. He’s alsointerested in producinga new take onThe Shadow, with David Slade directing. There’s no word on which project he will proceed with first, but no matter; they all sound intriguing. As long as he helms another film soon, I’ll be satisfied.
