Case 2317: new Lost Colony film follows in footsteps

Movies like “The Blair Witch Project” and “Paranormal Activity” became
worldwide phenomenons because somewhere in the back of the audience’s
mind, there was the question…”Is this real?”

With production of the upcoming “Case 2317,” Director Richard O’Sullivan takes things one step further. Inspired by the popularity of such TV shows as “Ghost Hunters,” “Ghost Adventures,” and “The Haunted,” O’Sullivan and Lost Colony Entertainment plan to send cast and crew into a haunted location–overnight–to legitimately make contact with ghosts before acting out the script. “We’re not trying to fool anyone into believing something that’s not real is real,” says O’Sullivan. “What we’re gonna do is actually incorporate a real-life ghost investigation into a scripted narrative film.”

The film O’Sullivan is talking about comes from a script by Sean Wathen, a former staffer at such TV hits as “House,” “Scrubs,” “24,” and “Heroes.”

Wathen’s first script, “The Field,” was optioned in 2009 by Stone Village (“Penelope,” “Turistas”) for a co-production with Benderspink (“The Ring,” “The Ruins”).

“It’s a very simple concept,” says O’Sullivan. “We take a good script, a handful of actors, and a small crew, and head to one location. A location known for real paranormal activity. Sure, we stick to the script, but if something out of the ordinary happens…well, I’m sure that’ll find it’s way onto the screen. If nothing happens, then we have a cool DVD extra.”

Lost Colony Entertainment plans a 2011 release for the low-budget chiller.