Adi Shankar's Dark Superhero Drama GODS AND SECRETS Adds Five To Its Cast!

Bootleg Universe made quite a bit of noise earlier this year with filmmaker Joseph Kahn's Power/Ranger one-shot shortfilm. The short continued to gain virility with its release amid its controversy with producer Adi Shankar handling all PR on the matter and for what it's worth, it was a worthwhile attention getter, so it bring to mind the question as to what lies ahead for Shankar in the process.

Well, leave it to a new report from Deadline that The Grey and Dredd 3D producer, along with Stewart Yost, will be making his directorial debut for another darly-lit venture, and this time into superhero territory with the new fantasy drama, Gods And Secrets. From creators Shankar, Jenni Powell and Shawn Deloache, Discourse Productions is producing the project with Twilight Saga co-star Jackson Rathbone who is starring. The report states the new drama will be likened to The Watchmen in exploring the extra shades of grey opposite typical superhero stereotypes, with a plot described as follows:

In a world in which superheroes exist, personal foibles and the resulting celebrity culture are front and center. In the story, tragedy has struck the superheroic team Guardians of Justice, and in its aftermath secrets are revealed, lives are changed, and the war to end all wars begins.

Also starring are WWE superstar Diamond Dallas Page, star of the upcoming Bruce Willis action thriller Extraction - actor Kellan Lutz, You're Next star Sharni Vinson and actor and YouTube personality, Andy Milonakis. Stay tuned for more details!

Producer Adi Shankar Gives DREDD 2 Hopefuls A Crash Course In Sequel-Making

It's been more than two years since the release of director Pete Travis's Dredd 3D scored as a major hit among critics while failing commercially at the box office at large. Accordingly, fans who loved the film compared to its 1998 predecessor have been pouring in droves online to celebrate the film's achievement in delivering a quality feature film adaptation while pressing hard for a sequel in some capacity, and as it stands, that goal has been slow to take, at best.

For those not in the know, the 2012 film was written by Alex Garland and produced by Adi Shankar and starred Karl Urban and actresses Olivia Thirlby and Lena Headey in the gritty story of a seasoned government lawman assigned to assess a rookie with psychic powers on the streets of Mega City One, only to find themselves trapped in one of the city's most dangerous Mega City blocks when its notorious crime lord, Ma-Ma, usurps herself and seizes control. To our delight, what ensues is an R-rated, explosive contained character-driven action adventure epic littered with bullets, blood, brutality and a whole lotta dead bodies, coupled with conspiracy, intrigue and corruption to boot, and for an independently-produced feature, it's the best thing to ever be shot on film for the comic book character its based on.

Sadly, the film evidently suffered at the box office and a sequel was deemed off limits even as home sales soared. Nowadays, a major online movement is happening just two long years in to help bring a sequel to life. Only thing is that in order to see our way to such prospects, you have to be attentive to the facts at hand, and as often as the facts are presented, people are ten times more likely to blow the facts off. And that's the internet for you - most peoples' attention spans are pretty equivalent to that of an kitten suffering from ADD while high on cat-nip and surrounded by random shiny objects (let that image sink in for a moment...).

The overall inner-workings of today's film industry are as difficult as they are complicated, especially when it comes to independent films which suffer greatly when they're not supported properly. Dredd 3D is no exception to the rule, as an independent film that's been sorely mistaken time again by the unknowing as a big budget Hollywood feature that wouldn't suffer and would get a sequel no matter what. Fans found that out the hard way, and curiousity among those in the community still eager to see Urban return to take his brand of justice from Mega City One into the cursed Earth still have questions that need answering.

Of course, this isn't solely limited to the fanbase, as a cult movement like this can use all the support it can get. But to understand it a little more, folks need to know the facts. Alas, fresh off the controversial hype of his Joseph Kahn-directed Power/Rangers one-shot is Shankar himself to educate the public on what it will take to make for a sequel to Dredd 3D to be financed and made. It's probably the most informative video you'll ever see if you've been wanting a sequel for as long as the fanbase has, and worth every minute as a much needed tutorial for netizens who think they know everything.

POWER/RANGERS, Ceased By Saban, Now Back Online Following Settlement

It's funny how the smallest of details can mean the biggest of changes in the course of events. The latest online craze over Bootleg Universe's deboot short, Power/Rangers has been the biggest example of this as of four days ago, unleashing the biggest, darkest, most visually stunning and violent take on the 90's childrens' Ameritoku series, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, just four days ago, followed by litigatory threats from billonaire media magnet and franchise owner Haim Saban and Saban Brands which ultimately led to its disabling on Vimeo and YouTube over a day later.

Of course, the initial Vimeo upload on the channel shortfilm's director, Detention and Torque helmer Joseph Kahn was already downloadable with a disclaimer stating that the project, produced by Dredd producer, Bootleg Universe's own Adi Shankar was merely a freebie one-shot for the fans. Despite this, the near-immediate popularity and virility of the short became the biggest and likely the most divisive issue between fans familiar with the American crossover series; It's slick, glossy sci-fi appeal incorporated with its dark, gritty, gory and tragic tone embodied the very reasons why fans alike (including several of the show's original cast members) either loved it, hated it, or shared professional opinions mixed from both ends. Nevertheless, what ensued was almost troubling for Shankar and Kahn who felt that Saban's legal response just a few days actions were a signature stamp on the gloomy nature of how fandom gets observed by any content creator online.

With this, however, comes some good news via Deadline that Shankar and Kahn were able to reach a deal with Saban in a settlement that now allows Power/Rangers, in both its NSFW and SFW versions, to remain online. Both versions now have more legally-termed disclaimers as well as age restrictions so as to further set the boundaries between what Power/Rangers is, and the children's show is aimed at when online users of all ages search for something on the web. “They put these disclaimers on so kids so don’t confuse our super-violent film with their Power Rangers brand." Kahn told Deadline. "There are no hard feelings. We signed contracts. We can play it anywhere we want on all platforms. I think they realized that people just want to see it.”

Obviously, Power/Rangers is and always will be a one-shot pitch, and there shouldn't be a stranglehold on creativity to such levels where legal action is the result. But then again, there's a lesson to be learned here when it comes to filmmaking while adapting something to your own vision, even as a fan contribution, and that is to get the blessing of the copyright owners first and foremost and establish an amicable dialogue, lest you find yourself at the other, less-approving end of a copyright infringement lawsuit.

At any rate, Saban Brands is currently developing a theatrical feature film franchise as of last year with the help of Lionsgate. So, in lieu of this new short, the new report ought to extinguish the angst a bit more between both parties now that the lines are drawn and all is well.

On that note, both versions are back online, SO CLICK HERE AND GO NUTS!

[UPDATE] Joseph Kahn's POWER/RANGERS One-Shot Is A Deboot Of R-Rated War-Torn Epicness

Look anywhere on YouTube and you'll find any number of independently conceived concepts attributed to the Ameritoku crossover series, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. There are a few in the works on smaller scales as well as a feature film from Lionsgate and Saban, and while many of these could likely hit all the similar tones of a kid-friendly show, there's at least one vision that's taken a life of its own which completely undoes it all.

That said, Detention helmer Joseph Kahn and Dirty Laundry one-shot producer, Bootleg Universe's own Adi Shankar have a hell of a way of interpreting Ameritoku, and their latest contribution to the fandom with their own one-shot, Power/Rangers, is a distinct example of this. Written by Kahn, Dutch Southern and lead actor James Van Der Beek, Kahn's is a version which removes the kid-friendly appeal and replaces it with all the trimmings of a big-scale epic, now host to an alternative look into a dark, tragic future where the Machine Empire has taken over, our heroes have fallen and virtually nothing is what it seems, showcasing a newer perspective on the shortfalls of being young and granted supernatural abilities to take on larger-than-life enemies, seen or otherwise. Essentially, its Ender's Game by way of Tokusatsu with a shit-ton of NSFW storytelling and action with a level of violence and imagery, and character delivery almost perfectly suited for an R-rated concept. It's what you can expect from the guy who also helped put together Dredd and the newly-released Gangs Of Wasseypur, and so by all means, I have no complaints.

Director's Statement:

Deboot of the Power Rangers. My take on the FAN FILM. Not a pilot, not a series, not for profit, strictly for exhibition. This is a bootleg experiment not affiliated or endorsed by Saban Entertainment or Lionsgate nor is it selling any product. I claim no rights to any of the characters (don't send me any money, not kickstarted, this film is free). This is the NSFW version. An alternate safe version is on youtube.

You can watch the safe version by clicking HERE, and while this may not be a pitch video for a bigger project, it damn well proves just how amazing a pairing Kahn and Shankar are, and just how worth it they are as artists. I'm keen to this.

Power/Rangers also stars Katie Sackhoff, Gichi Gamba, Russ Bain and Will Yun Lee with fight choreography by Don Thai Theerathada and the team over at 87Eleven. Watch below and click here to read more about it at Drew McWeeny's exclusive article at HitFix.

Update (2:00pm EST): Yes, the video does exist. Although it appears that our dear director may have been told to impede its availability from the public for the time being by someone higher-up. Upsetting, I know. But the SFW version is still viewable. Watch it now!


You may also read another version of this article at HJU.