Here's a little summary and some thoughts on what went down during the Carrie panel for all those who don't want to sift through the fan fawning for all the little interesting tidbits.
The Carrie panel kicked off with a teaser trailer. The footage was short, especially for a film that has already wrapped principal photography -- considering the amount of footage we saw from films like Iron Man 3 and The Lone Ranger at SDCC this past year while both films were still in the middle of production. While the Carrie trailer was a tease in every sense -- simply zooming across Chamberlain, Maine in a trail of fire and destruction, revealing Moretz as the title character covered in blood -- as the panel went on I realized that it showcased a couple of very important elements that clearly set this apart from Brian DePalma's 1976 film.
It's inevitable for this new take on Carrie to be compared to the first big-screen adaptation of the famous Stephen King novel, which starred Sissy Spacek as the troubled teen with telekinetic rage. The subject was brought up again and again with the term "remake" being thrown around quite a bit by the fans asking questions.
Though all on the panel expressed a great respect for what had been done in the original film, they didn't lift anything from it. Peirce's love of the source material and their desire to "bring the book to life now and in a modern way" is what will give fans of the book and the now equally iconic 1976 film more to chew on. It was pointed out that the destruction of the town is more widespread in the book than the original film. The teaser for the new Carrie clearly put their ability to capture that larger scope of the book on display -- which was simply impossible in 1976 with the budget they had and the technology available at the time.
Another exciting aspect of the new Carrie is the fact that the title role of the bullied teen is played by an actual teen this time around. Obviously the Oscar-nominated performances of both leads are nothing to downplay, but it's just interesting to note that Spacek was 26 at the time she filmed the original. A real teen playing a teen (15 year old Chloe Moretz) is an extra bit of added authenticity for the audience to connect with.
Here's some other interesting facts that were pointed during the panel:
- Peirce very roughly estimates that about 1,000 gallons of fake blood was used throughout the production of the film. Various consistencies of blood were tested through exhaustive R and D.
- A rumor was cleared up about Moretz's involvement in designing and constructing the dress for the movie. Moretz chuckled and clarified that she helped make "a dress" (one of I'm sure countless pieces that were used) but had no hand in the design.
- Concerning the usage of split screen, Peirce teased that it's "Yet to be seen."
- There was no method attempt at a dysfunctional relationship between Moore and Moretz, they said they kept it fun on set, since "the mother daughter relationship is the heart of our movie." Moore added,
"The more connected you are as people, the more connected you are as actors."
I think producer Kevin Misher summed up their goal for this adaptation best, explaining that they hope the film is a "metaphor for what is going on today," adding, "Hopefully it's not just a nostalgia trip." I think those 'nostalgia trip' movies are what leave smarter audiences feeling let down after watching a remake or even certain direct sequels. I'm excited to see Carrie introduced to a whole new audience and to see King's book realized on screen more fully.
To watch the whole panel (sorry, no teaser footage yet, click here).