KUALA LUMPUR: KRU Studios is in the midst of working on a new US feature film, Nosferatu.
In conjunction with Halloween yesterday, Datuk Norman Abdul Halim posted on his Instagram account a photo of the classic vampire Nosferatu.
The CEO of the KRU group of companies wrote: “Latest from the American Film Market (AFM), Santa Monica. KRU has been tasked with providing the visual effects for an English language film produced by a company in Los Angeles.”
The original film it is based on is Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, a silent German Expressionist horror film released in 1922 and directed by F. W. Murnau.
Considered the first vampire film ever made, it was an unauthorised adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897).
Upon its release, Stoker’s widow ordered all copies of the film to be burned but a single print survived.
The film, which starred Max Schreck as the vampire Count Orlok, has since become a massive cult hit and a cornerstone of horror cinema.
When contacted by telephone today, Norman, 46, said that the new film would be a “remix” of Nosferatu.
“We have received the original footage and are in the process of replicating the various backgrounds with CGI (computer-generated images).
“We have also been provided the new footage shot with live actors in front of a green screen.
“Our created backgrounds and digital sets will be added in. It’s similar to Hollywood productions like 300 and Sin City,” he added.
Norman said that it would be a scene-by-scene recreation of the classic horror film but this time with English dialogue.
The aim, he said, was to create an illusion that modern day actors were seamlessly performing within the world of the 1920’s film, now with music, sound and dialogue.
“About 90 per cent of what is seen in the background is CGI done by us at our facility in Technology Park Malaysia, Bukit Jalil.
“We started work in September and hope to complete everything by next January,” he added.
The American film, produced by BeamScreen Productions and the Artistry Media Group, is directed by David Lee Fisher, who had helmed a similar project — The Cabinet Of Dr Caligari in 2005.
It will star famed Hollywood creature actor Doug Jones as Count Orlok.
The legendary makeup effects actor has played memorable roles in many TV shows and films, such as Hellboy, Fantastic 4: Rise Of The Silver Surfer, Pan’s Labyrinth, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Falling Skies and Star Trek: Discovery.
Norman added that KRU’s international sales company, United Studios, had also been appointed as the new film’s sales agent.
“We’ll be in charge of selling Nosferatu to the global market, except for the North American region, which is a first for us.
“Usually it’s the US agents that do the global sales, this time it’s the other way around.
“We’ve already been selling our own films like Ribbit and Wheely, so we’ve been building our reputation over the years by attending the three major film markets,” he said.
Norman was referring to the European Film Market in Berlin, Germany (held in February), Marché du Film in Cannes, France (May) and the AFM in Los Angeles, USA (Nov).
“We hope to become a bridge to bring Malaysian content to the world,” he said.