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Race to Witch Mountain
Director: Andy Fickman
Release Date: March 13, 2009
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig
Language: English
Country: United States
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Race to Witch Mountain is a remake of the original 1975 film Escape to Witch Mountain, based on the book of the same name. The film is directed by Andy Fickman and stars Dwayne Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig, and Carla Gugino. Filming began in Los Angeles in March 2008. Race to Witch Mountain is scheduled to be released on March 13, 2009 and April 10 in the UK.
Walt Disney Pictures resurrects one of their time-honored franchises with Race to Witch Mountain, a family-oriented sci-fi adventure that tells the story of two alien visitors (AnnaSophia Robb and Alexander Ludwig) whose search for their spacecraft gets them caught up in an adventure with a cab driver (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) and a UFO specialist (Carla Gugino).
As the group races toward the mysterious mountain in the Nevada desert that has mystified scientists and paranormal researchers for years, the government, gangsters, and an extraterrestrial bounty hunter attempt to prevent them from reaching their intended destination. Should the two planetary travelers fail in recovering their ship, an alien invasion will be launched against the entire planet. The original 1975 picture Escape to Witch Mountain was followed by the sequel Return From Witch Mountain, as well as a 1995 made-for-TV remake.
A UFO expert enlists the help of a cabbie to protect two siblings with paranormal powers from the clutches of an organization that wants to use the kids for their nefarious plans. Advancing the storyline from the 1975 film Escape to Witch Mountain, a Las Vegas cab driver (Dwayne Johnson) and a discredited astrophysicist (Carla Gugino) attempt to rescue two paranormal siblings (AnnaSophia Robb and Alexander Ludwig) from the hands of a villainous man (Ciarán Hinds).
In July 2007, Walt Disney Pictures hired Andy Fickman to direct Witch Mountain, a modern re-imagining of Escape to Witch Mountain, using a script by Matt Lopez. The following August, actor Dwayne Johnson was cast into a lead role, with filming scheduled to begin in March 2008. Fickman did not describe the film as a remake, defining his production as “a new chapter within the world of Witch Mountain.”
The director also described the book in which the films are based as “a very cool dark thriller” and anticipated drawing elements from it that did not exist in the 1975 film. By March 2008, filmmakers were using a new script written by Mark Bomback. The film was re-titled Race to Witch Mountain, and it began filming in Los Angeles in the same month.
The convention center in Pomona, California was converted into the film’s UFO Expo 9, and the interior of Witch Mountain was designed using photographs from a tour of NORAD’s Cheyenne Mountain. A cabin for the story was also built in Agua Dulce, California. The director sought assistance from UFO experts, the military, and CIA advisers to shape the elements of the film. He also introduced a new element in the remake, an extraterrestrial creature called Siphon. The creature was conceived by the design team who created the look for Alien and Predator.
On January 22, 2009, the film received a rating of PG for sequences of action and violence, frightening and dangerous situations, and some thematic material.
Cast:
- Dwayne Johnson as Jack Bruno, a Las Vegas cab driver. The director wrote in a cab driver as a main character because there was a unique relationship between the driver and his passengers. Fickman explained, “When Dwayne’s driving and two aliens appear in his cab, he’s stuck with them, there is an implied contract that I will get you to your destination, because that’s what he does.”
- Anna Sophia Robb as Sara, sister to Seth, a girl with paranormal powers. Fickman chose Robb based on her performance in Bridge to Terabithia (2007).
- Alexander Ludwig as Seth, brother of Sara, a boy with paranormal powers.
- Ciarán Hinds as Burke, the villain. Hinds described his character as a man in black, explaining, “I’m the head of the operation who’s contacted directly by a man you never see…It is about protecting the country. He’s responsible for it, and he’ll do whatever needs to be done. That’s how he sees it.”
- Carla Gugino as Dr. Alex Friedman, a discredited astrophysicist. Fired from her university, she is relegated to giving a lecture at a UFO conference about hard science. Fickman cast Gugino into the role since he was a fan of the short-lived television series Threshold, in which the actress starred.
- Garry Marshall as a government fringe scientist and UFO conspiracy theorist.
- Cheech Marin in an unnamed role.
- Chris Marquette as Pope, a young agent fresh out of MIT and part of Burke’s team.
- Kim Richards as a roadhouse waitress. Richards portrayed the female lead with alien super powers, Tia Malone, from the original 1975 film and its 1977 sequel.
- Ike Eisenmann as a sheriff. Eisenmann portrayed Tony Malone in the original 1975 film and its 1977 sequel.
- William J. Birnes, the host of UFO Hunters, in a cameo.
- Whitley Strieber, author of Communion, in a cameo.
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