Pang Brothers talk Eye sequels, other films

According to Hollywood Reporter, the Pang Brothers were in Cannes for a presentation to buyers of their latest film, Re-Cycle, which is in preproduction.

Budgeted at US$5 million, it's the biggest film the Pangs have yet undertaken and starts shooting in Thailand later this year. Based around the concept of the "recycle" bin in a computer, the film is a supernatural thriller about a writer who enters an in-between world of spirits, and it will rely heavily on CGI effects, they said.

The project is set to star Angelica Lee, who won a lot of acclaim for her lead role in the original Eye.

Other films are in the works as well. Danny Pang is working on a thriller called Leave Me Alone while twin brother Oxide has Ab-Normal Beauty. Both are due in November.

"We love horror films but we don't want to get too heavily involved -- one a year is enough," Danny told Hollywood Reporter.

All three films are being distributed by Hong Kong's Universe Films Distribution, which is also the principal backer of each.

Online horror magazine Fangoria recently interviewed Oxide, who talked about The Eye 2 and more possible Eye sequels, as well as his latest solo project, The Tesseract.

The Tesseract, adapted from a book by Alex Garland (The Beach, 28 Days Later), recently played at the Mar del Plata Film Festival in Argentina. It's also at the Seattle Film Festival. The movie stars Saskia Reeves and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and focuses on three people whose lives collide in a cheap Bangkok hotel; it’s the director’s first project with an international cast.

"I tried to make the action look real and interesting," Oxide told Fangoria. "I want it to be different than the usual shoot-’em-ups. I like my movies to be unique."

Eye sequels have been talked about since the success of the first film. "Now the wait is over," says Fangoria. “Danny and I are teaming on the new Eye movies, and we’ll start working on the third one as soon as I’m finished with my new film."

The Eye 2 opened in Thailand and other Asian countries a few months ago. The sequel stars Taiwanese actress Shu Qi. She plays a young woman named Joey who discovers that she’s pregnant after a suicide attempt. Right after that, she starts being stalked by a mysterious woman, who might or might not be a ghost.

"It is quite different than the first film. People will be pleasantly surprised, because it’s not your typical horror movie. There will be a number of shocking images just like in the original, but this time we’ll take it one step beyond."

Now they are talking about a third Eye, which "will be something special," Pang told Fangoria. "It will actually be called The Eye 10, and it will be about 10 ways to see a ghost. It will be a pretty funny film."

Oxide said he's excited about the Hollywood remake of The Eye, which is being produced by Tom Cruise. The Pangs are not involved. "Danny and I are truly proud of it, but we don’t know anything about it yet. They’re just writing the script at the moment."

Oxide also talked to Fangoria about Ab-Normal Beauty, Recyle and more.. "I'm currently shooting my new film Ab-Normal Beauty and [it] stars one of Hong Kong’s new faces," he said. "People will be really surprised by it. After that one, we’ll start with [the sequel to] The Eye and, right after that, a big-budget movie called Re-Cycle, which will also be co-directed by Danny. We showed the promotional reel at the Cannes Film Festival this month."

Another film in the works for Oxide is a collaboration with producer Mona Nahm on The Remaker, a paranormal thriller about a man who survives a car accident with the new ability to dream the future, but who also becomes haunted by echoes of a past life.