If you've been off the Internet for the past couple of days, you missed the big news. Phantasm V: Ravager is not just happening, it's been shot! The trailer hit the web yesterday, and, if you missed it, just look below....
It looks like Reggie Bannister and Angus Scrimm are back, as well as the Lady in Lavender (looking a lot like original actor Kathy Lester), as well as the Cuda and, well, the Balls. The somewhat bad news is that original director Don Coscarelli isn't directing this one. But, he's producing, fronting the money and co-wrote the script with director David Hartman. in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.com, Coscarelli said, "...it was time to let someone else play with my train set."
Which would be fine, except Hartman has a rather limited directorial resume. While his credits with visual effects are strong (including Bubba Ho-Tep and John Dies at the End), is work as a director is heavy on the animation side, with credits including Transformers Prime, Jackie Chan Adventures, Godzilla: The Series and several Winne The Pooh episodes and videos.
Okay, I am not predicting doom for this film. Coscarelli worked on the script, and one has to suspect Hartman's animation work will give the film a snappy pace and some sharp cinematic style. And, hell, I know I'm going to watch it. I just hope a few of the other film regulars return (A. Michael Baldwin and Bill Thornbury, specifically) and the film takes all the dangling plot points from the previous movies and wraps them into a nice little, er, ball.
Judging by the final shot of this trailer, Reggie might face down The Tall Man and close out this series, which is all I ask of Ravager. I'd love more Phantasm movies, but I don't want to wait until I'm old and (totally) gray to see the ending of the saga.