Cirque Du Freak: The Movie

Cirque Du Freak: The Movie is a movie scheduled to start filiming in Feburary 2008.

Press Release
'''The “Cirque du Freak” series of bestselling children’s novels by Irish author Darren Shan has been acquired by Universal Pictures and will be adapted for a motion picture of the same name. The film is due to begin shooting in February 2008 in New Orleans under the direction of Paul Weitz (About A Boy, In Good Company), and will star John C. Reilly (Gangs of New York, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story) as Larten Crepsley; Josh Hutcherson (Bridge to Terabithia) as Steve Leonard; and newcomer Chris J Kelly as  Darren Shan. Weitz is adapting some of the storylines from the novels for the screen. He and Lauren Shuler Donner (X-Men) will produce for their production companies, Depth of Field and The Donner's Company.'''

Plot
Cirque du Freak tells the frightening tale of a boy who unknowingly breaks a 200-year-old truce between two warring factions of vampires. Pulled into a fantastic life of misunderstood sideshow freaks and grotesque creatures of the night, one teen will vanish from the safety of a boring existence and fulfill his destiny in a place drawn from nightmares.

14-year-old Darren (Chris Massoglia) was like most kids in his suburban neighborhood. He hung out with his best friend Steve (Josh Hutcherson), got decent grades and usually stayed out of trouble. But when he and his buddy stumble upon a traveling freak show, things begin to change inside Darren. Steve hangs around after the show and confronts a performer about being a vampire, then demands to be turned into a vampire. He tastes his blood and refuses, for Steve's blood tasted evil. Shortly after, Darren, obsessed with spiders, steals the vampire's performing spider, Madam Octa. After Madam Octa bites Steve and paralyzes him, Darren goes after the owner, determined to find an antidote for his best friend. He agrees only to give the antidote in exchange for one thing. That’s the moment when a vampire named Larten Crepsley (John C. Reilly) turns him into something bloodthirsty, a half-vampire, his apprentice.

Newly undead, he joins the Cirque Du Freak, a touring sideshow filled with monstrous creatures from a snake boy, Evra Von, (Patrick Fugit) and a wolfman (Tom Woodruff Jr.) to a bearded lady, Truska, (Salma Hayek) and a gigantic barker, Mr.Tall (Ken Watanabe). As Darren flexes his newfound powers in this dark world, he becomes a treasured pawn between the vampires and their deadlier counterparts, the vampaneze. While trying to survive, Darren must struggle to keep their brewing war from devouring what’s left of his humanity.[2]

Crew

 * Paul Weitz (Director)
 * Lauren Shuler Donner (Producer)
 * Brian Helgeland (Writer)