Although Dark City was released in 1998, the film’s universe is coming back in all sorts of interesting new ways. Specifically, filmmaker and The Crow director Alex Proyas has returned to the property to not only develop a Dark City series – but he’s also shot a new short film set in the world as well. The short, titled Mask of the Evil Apparition, is now playing as part of the Popcorn Frights Film Festival.
With the premiere of the new short film, Alex Proyas also opened up about his plans for the future of the Dark City franchise. This, of course, includes the newly revealed Dark City series. As stated by Alex Proyas in a virtual Q&A with fellow filmmaker Joe Lynch via Bloody-Disgusting:
“Dark City right now is really an intriguing one to me because we’re developing a series, a Dark City Series,” Proyas explained.
He further stated:
“Which we’re in the very early stages [of] but I’m having to reanalyze in order to construct a new story. I’m having to go back and kind of jog my memory as to what we actually did and what I think worked and what I think didn’t work and reevaluate my own film, so that’s been a very interesting experience as well which I’ve not done before.”
What’s more, Alex Proyas was able to discuss putting together the 2008 release of Dark City.
“You know, it tested very poorly and I was forced to do certain things I didn’t agree with and we made good to a certain extent in the director’s cut,” he recalls. “Because you couldn’t completely resalvage it. I mean the whole point of a director’s cut is the illusion that we resalvage what we’ve done originally. But you can never do that. Often it’s just impossible. In those days we shot on neg and the negs being cut. And its been cut in a certain way and it’s very, very hard to go right back to what you originally designed. So you do like a hodgepodge version of it. Certainly it’s closer to my original conception than the theatrical cut was, but it is still not exactly what my original conception was. You would have to go right back to dailies to do something like that.”
As for the plot of the new short film, Mask of the Evil Apparition…
“A young woman with no memory searches a deserted nocturnal city looking for something or someone. Only problem is she can’t remember who or what. She encounters twin brothers who may be her salvation, but one of them warns her that the “Mysterious Ones,” a nefarious group of clones, are after her. Another woman in disguise also offers to help, but can she be trusted?” The brand new short is being described as “a film about identity by visionary filmmaker Alex Proyas, made entirely with virtual production, and from the Dark City (1998) cinematic universe originally created by Proyas.”
Fans are currently able to view Mask of the Evil Apparition via the Popcorn Frights Film Festival. The film and the virtual Q&A will be able to view in the US beginning August 12 until August 19.