Former Catwoman Lee Meriwether stars in new zombie web series 'Project: Phoenix'
A passenger attacked a flight attendant and bit her. On her throat. He was taken down by a marine. Moments later, the flight attendant attacked a passenger. Passengers began tweeting, "rabies on a plane." Their WiFi was shut off. The entire world waited in wonder for the plane to land at Hartsfield International in Atlanta, waiting to see what happened on that plane.
So begins the story of "Project: Phoenix," an intriguing new horror web series about a covert, black-ops organization that must stop a zombie apocalypse. The series creator, director and executive producer, Chad Darnell, spoke with Riverside Horror on Monday about the new series and how horror fans can get involved.
Darnell is no stranger to the world of entertainment with an extensive bio in acting, directing, producing and writing. "Project: Phoenix" isn't his first foray into horror with his screenplays "Hell House" and "The Marked" currently in production with filming slated to begin in the late fall of 2012.
He is also a well-known casting director, having worked on such shows as "Alias," "Crossing Jordan" and "The Ghost Whisperer," as well as feature films like "Spider-Man," "Dawn of the Dead," "Men in Black 2" and "The Black Dahlia."
His newest endeavor, "Project: Pheonix," boasts an impressive cast, including Lee Meriwether, who famously portrayed Catwoman in the 1960's version of "Batman," Sherilyn Fenn ("Twin Peaks"), Kathy Deitch (Broadway's "Footloose" and "Wicked"), James Logan ("The Mechanic"), Justin Welborn ("Blue Like Jazz"), Linc Hand (the upcoming "Bling Ring" and "42"), and Shanda Lee Munson ("Ghostbreakers").
The 18-minute pilot was filmed in just eight hours on an impressive $2000 budget. They are currently hoping to raise $20,000 on fundraising site Indiegogo to produce eight to nine additional episodes. Donations end on Saturday, July 7, just four days away.
Darnell shared what viewers can expect as the series progresses and what makes his zombie story stand out.
"Zombies are really hot right now. What makes our show different is we're taking it from the survivor's side as well as the military side. Only the original team of Project: Phoenix knows what is happening, and for now, they think they've contained it to the plane. But by the end of episode two, a chain of events will take place that will lead to a massive outbreak by the last episode of season one."
Having Lee Meriwether on the project was as exciting as one would expect, and Chad says to expect more great casting. "Lee Meriwether was a dream," said Darnell. "She's one of the kindest actresses I've ever met. I'm really excited about exploring her character and what drives her in the series. As Agent Turner tells Sherilyn Fenn's character, 'only Holden' is left from the original Project: Phoenix. We'll meet Holden in episode two, and I've already been in conversations with that performer. It's going to be incredible."
If they make their goal of $20,000, what happens next? "We're hoping to have the additional episodes completed by September," says Darnell. "They will live on zombiebakeshop.com, which is a new website for zombie 'short films,' created by my friend Catie Boles and her husband Will Finley. We are also in conversations with another company that I can't talk about at the moment, but it will be really exciting and possibly revolutionize the way web series are distributed."
Fans can donate as little as $20, which will get your name in the credits of each episode, with amounts up to $1000, which makes you an executive producer for season one, along with an invitation to the cast and crew screening party in Los Angeles in August, a downloadable copy of "NCIS" star Pauley Perrette (Abby) singing Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name," a t-shirt, DVD and more.
To donate before the July 7 deadline, visit http://www.indiegogo.com/projectphoenix. You can also follow the series on Facebook and Twitter.
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