REEL DEAL: "WOLVES" Director David Hayter Mentored By Bryan Singer

Lucas Till, who starred as Alex Summers aka Havoc in “X-Men: First Class” plays lead role in the upcoming horror thriller “Wolves” directed by David Hayter (who also wrote the script for “X-Men,” “X-Men 2” and “Watchmne”) - “Wolves” is Hayter’s directorial debut that had tinseltown abuzz when he announced of his first directorial job.

“Wolves” centers on a young man (Till), who transforms into a werewolf and finds himself falsely accused of murdering his parents. Escaping from the town’s authorities, and eventually arriving at a small town named Lupine Ridge that has a history of supernatural happenings and the truth to his curse is finally revealed.

Director Hayter, in recent interviews notes that in making the film, he was grateful for being able to undergo Bryan Singer’s training.  “I was lucky enough to be sort of trained and mentored by Bryan Singer, and he gave me such an insight on what it takes to make a film. Like, what you need to do to a screenplay to make it “shootable.” So I understood those things, but I didn’t always agree with what the studio were doing to the material. So while there things I had to change in my script to accommodate the rigors of production, I was able to make those decision in ways that I felt good about and wasn’t forced too many times—I mean, you’re always going to make compromises—but for the most part, I was able to come up with I thought was the coolest solution to the problem.”

REEL DEAL Movies and Television: Vampires Suck Spotlight

CHRIS RIGGI FOR TEAM JACOB IN “VAMPIRES SUCK”

 He’s über-zealous in buffing up – that’s because Chris Riggi is playing Jacob in the upcoming comedy “Vampires Suck” inspired by the cult teen phenomenon on vampires and falling in love.  Riggi’s Jacob immediately notices Becca (Jenn Proske), the new girl in town but Becca notices Edward Sullen (Matt Lanter) more.  As Jacob persuades Becca not to associate with the Sullens, he is at the same time undergoing a strange transformation of his own that has him peeing on hydrants, chasing stray cats and sporting a wolf tail from the seat of his pants.

            As Jacob’s name is synonymous with a perfect-carved bod, Riggi has displayed an intense dedication in working out and has definitely achieved tremendous results – such that the audience will be treated to a better-looking Jacob version in the movie.  Riggi earned mainstream consciousness in his recurring role as Scott in the hit television series “Gossip Girl.”  Coming from an artistic family plus his experience on roles from television and theater, producer Peter Safran did not look any further when Riggi submitted his audition cd.  “Fans of the genre know that six-pack-abs are a werewolf’s most important physical trait, and by the time principal photography began he was in peak physical condition and had packed on twelve pounds of pure muscle,” producer Peter Safran notes. 

Riggi adds:  “To play a werewolf fans would have fun with, I had to be in peak physical condition. I had only a little more than a month to prepare for the role, so I began an intense training period. The hardest thing was giving up the foods I enjoy. It felt like I was only eating wood chips and cardboard. But the role required a specific look. It was tiring but I was really happy with the results.”

The role of the werewolf also required Riggi to undergo a time-consuming make-up process that included complex prosthetic devices. “Initially, it took five hours to apply all the make-up and prosthetics but that time was greatly reduced as we got accustomed to the process,” Riggi explains. “It takes a certain amount of concentration to focus on the role and be prepared to go in front of the camera with that kind of preparation. Plus I had to do sets of dumbbell curls while all that was going on. It was a new experience for me.”

             “Vampires Suck” opens August 25 in theaters from 20^th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.