- Notes provided by Lionsgate Films. -



SHORT SYNOPSIS



In the year 2056 - the not so distant future - an epidemic of organ failures devastates the planet. Out of the tragedy, a savior emerges: GeneCo, a biotech company that offers organ transplants... for a price. Those who miss their payments are scheduled for repossession and hunted by villainous Repo Men.



In a world where surgery addicts are hooked on painkilling drugs and murder is sanctioned by law, a sheltered young girl searches for the cure to her own rare disease as well as information about her family's mysterious history. After being sucked into the haunting world of GeneCo, she is unable to turn back, as all of her questions will be answered at the wildly anticipated spectacular event: The Genetic Opera.



Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (SAW II, SAW III, SAW IV) and produced by Twisted Pictures and released by Lionsgate, this futuristic horror rock opera stars Alexa Vega (SPY KIDS), Anthony Stewart Head (TV's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"), world-renowned singer Sarah Brightman (Broadway's "Phantom of the Opera"), Paris Hilton (HOUSE OF WAX), Ogre from the band Skinny Puppy, Terrance Zdunich, with Bill Moseley (THE DEVIL'S REJECTS) and Paul Sorvino (GOODFELLAS). By fusing ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW and BLADE RUNNER, this unique production modernizes the "rock opera" genre with original music and rich, dark production design.



This is not your parents' opera...



EXTENDED SYNOPSIS

In the year 2056 an epidemic of organ failures devastates the planet. Out of the tragedy, a savior emerges: GeneCo, a biotech company that offers organ transplants. Operations don't come cheap so, for those who can't afford it, GeneCo offers easy organ financing. With so many patients undergoing transplant surgery, GeneCo develops Zydrate, a compound derived from an endorphin that's created in the brain at the time of death, to give patients a "pain free" recovery.



GeneCo's easy operations quickly gain popular appeal and, through innovative marketing, they carve out a new industry: surgery as a fashion statement. People will go under the knife for stronger bones, younger organs, to change their race. GeneCo's designer body parts and name-brand organ upgrades become the popular obsession, and GeneCo gains political influence, allowing them to push a bill through Congress: Organ Repossessions are Legalized.



In addition to already high interest rates and late fees, GeneCo adds a repossession clause to its contracts. Patients who miss their payments are now scheduled for repossession and hunted by Repo Men, legal surgical assassins contracted by GeneCo. Although sanctioned by law, the Repo Men are reviled and feared by the public, so they wear masks to keep their identities secret. Unable to keep up with the rising cost of surgeries and fearful for their lives, GeneCo's customers often become Zydrate addicts. A black market industry is created, with GraveRobbers tapping the deceased for Zydrate and selling it to junkies, cutting into GeneCo's profits.



GeneCo's CEO, Rotti Largo (Paul Sorvino) successfully uses aggressive marketing to retain control of his customers, but he is fearful about the future of his empire. His two sons, Pavi (Ogre) and Luigi (Bill Moseley), and daughter Amber (Paris Hilton) are addicted to surgery, spending the family money almost as quickly as the company makes it.



Seventeen-year-old Shilo (Alexa Vega) lives a life far removed from the privileged world of the Largo children. She is kept locked away in her home by her father Nathan (Anthony Stewart Head), who has warned her that the outside world could be life threatening for her because of a genetic blood disease that was passed down from her mother. Nathan is a widower, having lost Shilo's mother Marni to a botched operation, in which he was the surgeon. He is wracked with guilt from the accident and wants nothing more than to protect his daughter.



But Nathan has a secret identity: he is GeneCo's most feared assassin, Repo Man. Rotti Largo uses Nathan's guilt over the accident to manipulate him into doing his evil dirty work, but is Nathan a better person because he's only taking orders? What is he really protecting Shilo from...her disease or the truth about her father and the world they live in?



Rotti Largo lures Shilo into the outside world into a dangerous scavenger hunt, promising her that the cure for her disease and the truth about her mother's mysterious death lay at the end of the journey. He baits her with opportunities that her father has always kept from her, even introducing her to her idol, the singer Blind Mag (Sarah Brightman), who seems to have a connection to Shilo's mother.



Shilo gets involved in a dangerous game, not knowing who is her enemy and who is her friend, trying to keep her secret from her father, with her medic alert bracelet going off all the time warning her that she needs to take her medication and warning her father that she is out of the house. Repo Man and a GraveRobber (Terrance Zdunich) keep showing up and it's never clear who's there to hurt or help.



It all leads up to the wildly anticipated spectacular The Genetic Opera, where Rotti promises all of Shilo's questions will be answered.







ABOUT THE PRODUCTION





REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA is the brainchild of Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich. The two began performing what they called ten-minute operas at coffee shops and rock clubs in Los Angeles in 2000. One of those short pieces, The Necromerchant's Debt, a futuristic tale involving a graverobber, was the seed that grew into REPO! Zdunich says that "the original GraveRobber was a character very similar to the one I'm playing now in that he was this rogue who lived on the outskirts of society. He was making a social commentary about what he'd see in the graveyard. One of the things that he saw was a repo man who would repossess body organs that were bought on credit - that ten-minute story ended up evolving to where the GraveRobber became indebted to the Repo Man. When we performed it the audience reception to that story was the strongest of all the ten-minute operas we had done, so we thought 'Let's make it bigger!'"



From there, Smith and Zdunich expanded their story into a forty-five minute set of vignettes called REPO, which introduced most of the characters that would eventually inhabit the movie incarnation. They continued performing the show at rock clubs in L.A., and it later grew into a fully staged two-hour theatrical production, which was first performed in 2002. The show was mounted at the John Raitt Theater in Hollywood, the Split ID Theater in West Hollywood, and then went on to Off-Broadway at the Wings Theater in New York's West Village. It was during the process of staging and performing the show in New York and L.A. that Smith and Zdunich were able to develop the story, characters and songs that would later become the film REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA.



During this time, they also met music video director Darren Lynn Bousman when he came in to audition as a director for one of the stage productions. Recalls Bousman, "I'd just moved to Los Angeles to do musicals. Ever since I was a kid, I've responded to musicals like JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR and TOMMY. Until I get out here, and of course there's no musicals to be done. So I started shopping my own script called THE DESPERATE, meeting with a bunch of people, who'd ask, 'What's your ultimate goal?' And I said, 'I want to do a musical.'"



"One day a script came across my desk," continues Bousman, "but it's not a script per se, it's a stage play called 'Repo.' And I was like, "I don't want to do a stage play." And my reps said, "Just read it." They didn't have any of the music, but I read it anyway and flipped. Immediately I found the writers and called them, begging, 'Let me direct this, let me direct this.' And this was without even hearing the music, it's just reading the words on the page."



Smith and Zdunich admired Darren Lynn Bousman's passion and love for the rock opera genre and immediately hired him to direct the first full-length stage production of REPO!



Darren Lynn Bousman went on from there to direct SAW II, which became the number one movie at the American box office its opening week and then SAW III, another number one film at the American box office week of opening, but he always felt connected to REPO! and wanted to see it made into a film. Bousman tried repeatedly to use his newfound connections and influence to get a REPO! movie financed, but a musical horror rock opera was a hard concept for producers to visualize.



It was going back to their ten-minute roots that finally got the movie made. Bousman reached out to Zdunich and Smith, flying them up to Toronto to make a ten-minute short film to pitch Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures Producers Carl Mazzocone, Mark Burg and Oren Koules on the REPO! concept. Bousman then approached SAW Producer Daniel Jason Heffner as they were finishing editing on SAW III, explaining that REPO! was his dream project and asked for help to get the short made. Heffner agreed and gathered the entire SAW crew together over a weekend to make the short. It was a true labor of love, with everyone volunteering their services, and vendors offering free equipment and post-production services.



The short, which featured two numbers from REPO! - "Zydrate Anatomy" and "21st Century Cure" - showed producers and financiers what the full-length movie could be, and pre-production got under way in 2006.



When casting the film, the filmmakers had to find actors who were not only perfect for the roles and willing to take a risk on an unconventional movie, but who could also sing. So they took an unconventional approach - they put together a packet, which they sent out to managers and agents, including the short film, a booklet of design sketches and a CD of some of the rough tracks of songs.



The first actor cast was Alexa Vega as Shilo, who was performing on Broadway in Hairspray at the time. She actually found out about the project when Darren Lynn Bousman contacted her through a MySpace fan page. "I was in New York working on the Broadway show, HAIRSPRAY, and, okay, literally, on a fan MySpace page that somebody made for me, I just happened to be on the inbox of it, and this director Darren Bousman sent me a message saying, "I really want you to be in my movie," blah blah blah blah blah. I'm thinking "Ay-yi-yi, it's one of those people again, you know." So I just skipped past it. And then I got another one, and I'm like, all right. So finally I checked out his MySpace and he said that he directed SAW. I called my agency saying, "Hey, is this legit?" And they said, "Oh yeah, we turned it down." I'm like, "You what?" They're like, "We turned it down." So I messaged him back right away, I'm like, "Okay, um, I'd love to read it," 'cause he kind of gave me like a little synopsis of what it was about.



While skeptical at first, Alexa was quickly sold on the project once he explained it to her. They then secured Paul Sorvino, a trained opera singer, as Rotti Largo. According to Zdunich, "Rotti was written as kind of a mixture of Pavarotti and a typical Italian mob boss that's portrayed in film and TV. Paul obviously has played the Italian mob bosses before - and he sings opera. So what more can you say? He's the perfect Rotti."



Anthony Stewart Head, best known in the U.S. for his role in BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER but also a popular theater actor in the U.K., took on the role of Nathan/Repo Man. Says Head, "While in Los Angeles on another project, my agent set up a meeting for me with Darren and Terrance and the other Darren. It was largely Darren Bousman's enthusiasm that just completely won me over. He said, you know, he'd been wanting to make this ever since he left college, and you know, and this was his dream and he'd managed to persuade the people at Lionsgate by eventually making a trailer, which he then proceeded to show me. And that they'd finally consented to making this movie. From that moment on, I was like, "Okay, what, show me where I sign up."



International recording artist/performer Sarah Brightman, in her feature film debut, was cast as Blind Mag. Says Brightman, "Mag was a girl with a gift, and that gift of song and musicality. She was blind, and the empire of GeneCo gave Mag her eyes. As a result, she was able to far more easily give her gift to the world because she could see again and function in a more sort of positive way. Unfortunately for Mag, and for everybody who's been under the spell of GeneCo and needed their help, she sold her soul to the devil. It's been a great part to play and I wish I had years to live with the part because she is so deeply textured."



There was a lot of interest from young actresses to play the part of Amber Sweet, but Paris Hilton so impressed the filmmakers when she auditioned she was offered the part immediately. Says Darren Bousman, "Paris Hilton's character, Amber Sweet, was a hard one because I needed someone who could sing, be sexual, very sexy, and yet be able to change her identity a lot. We met with a lot of actresses but we ended up going with Paris because she was the most prepared for the role, she was the most eager for the role, and I think there was a, there was a challenge for me as a director to take people away from Paris Hilton and put her for something else. I've showed the trailer to a bunch of people and everyone asks, "Why didn't you put Paris in the trailer?" And I'm like, "Paris is in the trailer in twenty-two shots." They're like, "No, she's not." So I play it back and I'm like, "There." And their jaw just drops. No one expects that. It's exciting for me as well is to show people a different light on her."



Says Hilton, "Darren is an incredible director. I've been a huge fan of his since the SAW movies. So it's an honor to just be a part of this film. Seeing the footage has been so exciting. I've never seen a movie with this much color, this much great music and such an eclectic cast. It's very unique and I think it's something that people will be watching for years to come, you know. Something like my grandkids are going to watch. It will still be like around just like THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW."





Horror icon Bill Moseley agreed to take on the part of Luigi Largo; Kevin Ogilvie, better known as "Ohgr", the frontman for the band Skinny Puppy, had an aesthetic that matched perfectly with that of the industrial sound of the film and easily stepped in to the role of Pavi Largo; and Terrance Zdunich of course claimed the role of GraveRobber, which he originated on the stage.



Many members of the SAW crew continued on with the team to make REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA the movie, including Costume Designer Alex Kavanagh and Production Designer David Hackl. The film began production in both Los Angeles, where the actors pre-recorded the music with renowned Music Producers Yoshiki and Joseph Bishara, and in Toronto, where the designers began creating the futuristic GeneCo dominated world of REPO!



Production Designer David Hackl worked closely with Darren Lynn Bousman to achieve the not-so-distant futurism of the film. According to Hackl, one of the most challenging sets to create was GeneCo's Sanitarium Square, where the Genetic Opera is performed. He explains, "this is a set that is supposed to feel quite large almost like an Italian piazza - something that is Rotti's dream of a beautiful world, where opera is the favorite music, where people wear beautiful costumes and are elegant and have wonderful lives. While everything outside the square is crumbling and pretty much falling away. The further you go out from the square, the more the communities are disintegrating, and it's closing in on him rather quickly. We wanted to have the square that was elegant, but also had a feel of falling apart. So, one of the references we used were the photographs of a great photographer Robert Polidori, who did a lot of photographs in Cuba. In them, you can see how Havana still remains somewhat beautiful and elegant, even though the buildings are falling apart. GeneCo Square is very much like that."



Sketches that Zdunich made during the many incarnations of the opera provided a great reference for Costume Designer Alex Kavanagh in creating the fantastical world of the film. From there she worked to create a world in the not-too-distant future. In her words, "we took a lot of interesting clothes from contemporary fashion and just how we styled them is what gives them a very different vibe from contemporary fashion."



One of the most interesting characters in the film in terms of wardrobe is the outrageous Amber Sweet. According to Kavanagh, "Amber Sweet is our most dynamic character because she is a chameleon by nature. Her obsession with her appearance is part of her character; she's unfulfilled on the inside so she's constantly trying to create this entire new Amber on the outside. We have about eight different costume changes for her and each time it's a completely separate look: costume, hair, makeup, contact lenses, everything changes. Now Paris Hilton is playing Amber Sweet and, because we were working with a somewhat limited budget I talked to her on the phone before she came, and she said, 'Don't worry, I'll bring stuff.' She brought six suitcases full of stuff, and she's got amazing clothes. She brought all her accessories and amazing jewelry. And she's definitely a very stylish person. She knows what looks good on her and, and is willing to take some chances. A lot of the stuff she's wearing in this film is stuff she wouldn't be caught dead wearing in the street, but she went for it."



At the core of this entire project, however, is the music, which is born of many influences. This rock opera boasts an entirely original soundtrack that blends equal parts Goth and punk rock to form an eerie and powerful musical narrative. Creator Darren Smith explains, "The through line is kind of a Nine Inch Nails, industrial sound. It goes through jazz. It goes through classical, especially opera, because we really wanted to have a legitimate opera sound with the industrial NIN sound, butted together. You'll hear hip-hop, a lot of rock. What's been fantastic about this movie experience is, in the recorded music created for the stage productions I play most, if not all of the instruments. But now, when we've brought it to the film, we've got all these amazing new musicians on board."



The musicians that formed this all-star line-up includes performances from Richard Patrick (Filter), Stephen Perkins (Jane's Addiction), Clown (Slipknot), Ray Luzier (Army of Anyone), Brian Young (David Lee Roth's band), Richard Fortus (Guns & Roses), Sonny Moore (From First to Last), David J (Bauhaus/Love & Rockets), Daniel Ash (Love & Rockets), Blasko (Ozzy Osborne), Tommy Clefetus (Rob Zombie's band), Melora Creager (Rasputina). Also lending her voice to the soundtrack is the edgy pop star Poe.



Japanese musician and composer Yoshiki Haysahi (of the legendary rock band X-Japan) co-produced the music with Joe Bishara to create one of the most diverse soundtracks in movie history.



Says Smith, "At first I was thinking, 'This is my thing. I don't know if I want to do that,' but we have a great producer, Joe Bishara; we've got people who play with Guns and Roses, with Bauhaus, with Filter, Skinny Puppy, Nine Inch Nails. Plus, we've got Sarah Brightman, who plays Blind Mag the supposed great opera diva, and of course she is in real life. Paul Sorvino has a phenomenal voice too. Even Paris Hilton who everyone will be blown away by. All of the actors performed their own songs. The music is just phenomenal. The whole production was a great experience."



Director Bousman invites fans to come experience REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA. "Forget the genre," implores Bousman. "Forget the music, forget the horror. It's an experience that you should have in a movie theatre with a group full of people. This is nothing like you've ever seen before. That's the most exciting thing for me. It's brand new. It's catchy, it's cool, it's hip, it's edgy, it's dark, it's sexy. It's everything and I think that there's something in it for everyone."



ABOUT THE CAST







ALEXA VEGA (Shilo Wallace)

Alexa Vega has been acting since the age of four when she landed the role of Burt Reynolds's daughter in the acclaimed television series, "Evening Shade". She became known worldwide in 2001 with her role as Carmen Cortez in the SPY KIDS trilogy. Vega also made her Broadway debut in 2007 when she played Penny Pingleton in the Tony Award winning Broadway version of "Hairspray".



Ms. Vega has appeared in the films TWISTER, as the young Helen Hunt, LITTLE GIANTS, NINE MONTHS, GHOSTS OF MISSISSIPPI, DEEP END OF THE OCEAN, SLEEPOVER, and STATE'S EVIDENCE. Her television credits include "Ladies Man," opposite Alfred Molina, "ER," "Chicago Hope," and the lead in the Lifetime feature, "Odd Girl Out." She was most recently seen starring in the HBO film, WALKOUT and has just completed filming the independent film, THE BEAUTIFUL ORDINARY.





ANTHONY STEWART HEAD (Repo Man/Nathan Wallace)

Anthony Stewart Head most recently appeared in Tim Burton's SWEENEY TODD and can be seen in Woody Allen's as yet untitled upcoming film. He has appeared on screen in films including IMAGINE ME AND YOU, and often on television in the UK and US on shows such as "Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place", "Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Silent Witness", "Highlander", "Persuasion", "Monarch of the Glen", and "Hotel Babylon".





SARAH BRIGHTMAN (Blind Mag)

In a genre-defying music career that could be described as nothing less than spectacular, Sarah Brightman has established herself as the world's best selling soprano of all time.



Her extraordinary abilities as a consummate recording artist and live performer have allowed her to achieve sales of more than 26 million albums and two million DVDs, and earned her more than 150 gold and platinum sales certifications in 34 countries on all continents. She remains the only artist ever to hold the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Classical and Dance charts simultaneously. Ms. Brightman's unprecedented crossover success has also helped pave the way for such performers as Andrea Bocelli, Il Divo, and Josh Groban, and earned her nearly every major music award on the planet, including a listing in the Guinness Book of World Records for the success of "Time to Say Goodbye," the best-selling single in German recording history.



Above all, Sarah Brightman is one of the most trailblazing entertainers of her time, effortlessly transcending and blending musical styles from pop, rock, and Broadway show-stoppers, to operatic and classical arias, all the while captivating audiences around the globe with her exquisite voice and her undeniably electrifying stage presence.



In addition to her impressive record-sales figures, in 1992 Sarah closed the Barcelona Olympic Games with a performance seen by an astounding two billion viewers. In 2004, she grossed $60 million on the record-breaking Harem World Tour, playing to an audience of 700,000 worldwide. And in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sarah performed to a crowd of 120,000 in a single night.



Yet, in spite of her mass appeal, each album she delivers makes a strong personal statement and cuts right through to the heart and soul of the individual listener. Her latest is certainly no exception. Symphony - Ms. Brightman's first new studio recording in five years - luminously exemplifies the meaning of that very word. "Symphony" is defined as "a harmonious combination of elements, especially an effective combination of colors."



Recorded in Germany, the USA and the UK, Symphony features all new songs, and was created by Sarah with long-time producer Frank Peterson. In addition to reuniting her with Andrea Bocelli on the sweeping, romantic "Canto Della Terra," the characteristically eclectic album features collaborations with Spanish counter tenor sensation Fernando Lima ("Pasión"), Italian tenor Alessandro Safina ("Sarai Qui"), and rock superstar Paul Stanley (KISS) on "I Will Be with You (Where the Lost Ones Go)." Another highlight is "Running," the International Association of Athletics Federation Green Project Charity song, which Sarah performed at their Championships opening ceremonies in Osaka, Japan. 2008 could offer audiences another opportunity to witness the tremendous impact Sarah has made as a live entertainer as a tour is in the works.





PARIS HILTON (Amber Sweet)

Paris Hilton can currently be seen starring in "The Simple Life 4-TIL DEATH DO US PART", which airs on E! Entertainment. The show follows Paris and Nicole Richie, as the girls become temporary mothers and leave behind the comforts of life in Beverly Hills. Paris' other television credits include: "The O.C.", "Las Vegas", "Veronica Mars", and "The George Lopez Show".



Paris was last seen on the big screen in the Warner Bros. film THE HOUSE OF WAX, starring alongside Chad Michael Murray for producer Joel Silver. Paris is currently in production on THE HOTTIE AND THE NOTTIE, which she is starring in and producing.



Additional film credits include RAISING HELEN, ZOOLANDER, THE CAT IN THE HAT, and WONDERLAND.



Paris' career continues to evolve with exciting and challenging projects. August 2006 marked the worldwide release of her debut self titled album on Warner Bros Records, produced by Scott Storch. The first single "Stars are Blind" was released on radio and immediately began burning up the airwaves. She recently released her second book, Confess It All to Me, following her New York Times Best Seller, Confessions of an Heiress for Simon & Shuster in September 2004. Her third fragrance under the Paris Hilton brand was released in October 2006.



Paris enjoys spending time with her family, friends and pets and is actively involved in numerous animal advocacy and charity organizations.





OGRE (Pavi Largo)

In spring of 2007, Ogre hit the road with Skinny Puppy, his band of over twenty years. Hidden behind a thin white screen splattered red, he donned ornate headgear and moved as though his limbs were manipulated by well-concealed strings, bringing a new, and perhaps gorier, version of shadow puppetry to audiences across North America and Europe. This was just one of many inspired roles the vocalist has adopted for his stage shows over the years.



Since 1982, Ogre has remained a vanguard artist, his work consequently influencing a generation of musicians spanning across genres. With the pioneering industrial group Skinny Puppy, he and cohort cEVIN Key have matched brutally vivid socio-political commentary with the unsettling clang of electronic music. Onstage, he has made a career of instilling theatrical virtues in a genre typically predisposed towards anonymity by utilizing film footage, elaborate costumes and make up and body language to reanimate the songs. In his more recent project ohGr, the vocalist has lent the same level of creativity and enthusiasm to a more accessible sound.



After years of performing live, it was only natural for Ogre to move into film and REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA seems to be a perfect first fit for the artist.





TERRANCE ZDUNICH (GraveRobber)

See ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS





BILL MOSELEY (Luigi Largo)

Every self-respecting horror fan remembers the first time they saw Bill Moseley -as ChopTop, the madder than mad, larger than life and sicker than sick younger brother of cannibal chili king Drayton Sawyer in THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE PART 2.



Moseley graduated with a BA in English from Yale University and became a freelance writer for prestigious periodicals like Omni, National Lampoon, Rolling Stone, Interview and Psychology Today. Moseley wrote, funded, and starred (as The Hitchhiker) in a wigged-out parody of one of his favorite films, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, called THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MANICURE, an impressively imaginative, dead-on rip on the original, which impressed MASSACRE auteur Hooper, so much that two years later, Moseley stepped into the role of ChopTop, and a new horror icon was born.



Moseley then worked continuously in front of the camera, appearing in CHUCK (The Mask), Clint Eastwood's PINK CADILLAC, SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT 3, and Sam Raimi's ARMY OF DARKNESS. Moseley starred in Rob Zombie's controversial HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES, which would become a massive cult favorite and spawn an even more vicious and critically embraced sequel, THE DEVIL'S REJECTS - which also landed Moseley a prime recurring role in HBO's "Carnivàle".



Now a genre icon twice over, Moseley lives in Hollywood with his two daughters, two cats, a cantankerous parrot named Mr. Hanky, and Lucinda, the love of his life. He also finds time to release full-length albums of experimental rock 'n' roll under the moniker Cornbugs with ex-Guns N' Roses member, Buckethead. His recent film projects include GRINDHOUSE and Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN. Bill is about to film ICE 44, with Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Ray Winstone and also will star in horror/thriller BLOOD NIGHT. Bill was Guest of Honor at the 2006 World Horror Convention.





PAUL SORVINO (Rotti Largo)

Forthcoming













ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS



DARREN LYNN BOUSMAN (Director)

Darren Lynn Bousman grew up in Kansas, where he became heavily involved in the theater community. He attended Kansas University where he majored in theater and film. During his sophomore year, he left KU to attend a film school in Orlando, FL. It was in Florida that Darren began writing and directing short horror films. Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, Darren began directing music videos and commercials for such Utopian Pictures artists as Velma Fix, and Tamela. In early 2003, Darren became a freelance director for The Firm, a Beverly Hills-based management company. While working with The Firm, he has directed various music videos and commercial spots, including the StaticX hit "So" which made its premier on MTV and FUSE. That same year, Bousman directed the first theatrical stage production of REPO at the John Raitt Theater in Hollywood to sold-out crowds. In 2004, Darren helmed the commercial campaign for Virgin Cola where he directed five separate national spots. Darren was introduced to the Twisted Pictures producers Gregg Hoffman, Mark Burg, and Oren Koules after penning the script THE DESPERATE, which sparked the seed that Leigh Whannell and Bousman would later turn into 2005's smash hit SAW II. Upon completing principle photography for SAW II, Darren went on to direct the music video "Forget to Remember" for Mudvayne, but returned to helm SAW III in 2006 and SAW IV the following year, both of which went on to, as did SAW II, open at Number One at the American box office.





DARREN SMITH & TERRANCE ZDUNICH (Co-Writers)

Darren Smith & Terrance Zdunich met while studying acting at the South Coast Repertory Theatre. In 1998 they formed "The Gallery" and began writing and performing theatrical rock music in the form of ten-minute operas. As a duo they bombarded the Los Angeles club/theatre scene. Inspired by the popular response to their ten-minute opera, "The Necro-merchant's Debt", They decided to expand their vision into a full-length theatrical format. Thus began REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA. Hailed by LA Weekly as a "hilarious and beautiful opera stew", REPO! was said to have "its bloody synthetic heart in the right place" (Valley Scene). In 2002, Smith & Zdunich self-produced their musical at Hollywood's John Raitt Theatre, then again at SplitID Theatre in West Hollywood, 2004 - both to sold-out audiences. In the summer of 2005, REPO! debuted in New York at off-Broadway's Wings Theatre, who produced the run as part of its New Musicals Series. REPO! was once again met with audience acclaim.

In 2006, REPO!'s cinematic aspirations were realized when Smith & Zdunich collaborated with director Darren Lynn Bousman to create a 12-minute REPO! short film. Shot on location in Toronto, the short features the acting talents of Michael Rooker (HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER, JFK) and Shawnee Smith ("Becker", and the SAW films). The press hailed the REPO! short film as "expressive, catchy and ambitious" (Fangoria). "I seriously haven't seen anything this unique in a long time" (bloody-disgusting.com).

Terrance Zdunich graduated from Otis College of Art and Design and his background in the visual arts led him to work in the animation industry as a storyboard artist for Sony and on projects such as the film FIREDOG, voiced by Tom Arnold, Lauren Bacall & Tony Danza. He storyboarded the live-action biopic WHAT WE DO IS SECRET, about the legendary punk band The Germs, and Sean Penn's INTO THE WILD. He's also provided conceptual artwork for Fox's TV series "Bones". As a performer, Zdunich has been described as "powerful and spooky" by the LA Weekly, "a great voice" (thelamusicscene.com) who "struts the stage with "imposing ambiance" (OC Metro). Zdunich has been howling "Graaaaaaves" as GraveRobber through the many incarnations of REPO!.

Darren Smith played music professionally in New York and throughout the East Coast with a variety of musicians ranging from Sophie B. Hawkins, Elliot Sharp, NY Indonesian Gamelan Ensemble, and as a member of the performance duo Bite The Wax Tadpole. He received a Bachelor of Music at NYU, studied ethnomusicology at Wesleyan University, took banjo lessons from Peter Tork of The Monkees, and, like many Monsters of Rock, graduated from Hastings College of the Law. Smith recently released Harvesting Light, a CD of his instrumental compositions in which he plays all 16 instruments. Horlust, a CD of solo bowed electric guitar works, and Digitalia, a CD which features opera samples and electronic-based pre-show compositions used in REPO!'s live performances. Smith is a member of the American Composer's Forum.





YOSHIKI (Music Producer)

Referred throughout his professional career by his first name only, Yoshiki is arguably Asia's most influential musical artist and biggest rock icon.



Yoshiki co-founded the popular rock band X JAPAN for which he played drums and piano and wrote and produced most of the music. Credited as the catalyst for the flamboyant visual kei (visual style) rock sub-genre, X JAPAN had sold more than 20 million combined albums and singles and over 2 million videos before disbanding in 1997.



Aside from his work with X JAPAN, Yoshiki has lent his talent and vision to a variety of other projects. He has composed music for film and television and collaborated with well-known artists including Queen drummer Roger Taylor and legendary Beatles producer George Martin. In 1999, Yoshiki composed and performed an orchestral piece/piano concerto to commemorate the current Japanese Emperor's 10th anniversary of reign. In 2000, Yoshiki received an award from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture and Science for his influence upon Japanese society and culture. He was also commissioned to compose and conduct the theme for the 2005 World Expo in Japan, which was performed by a "Super World Orchestra" consisting of over 100 of the best musicians from around the world. In 2001, Yoshiki wrote and co-produced the double album "Yoshiki Presents Eternal Melody" to great critical acclaim and which remains one of Japan's top-selling classical albums.



Yoshiki remains active in the J-Rock music industry as producer for influential Japanese bands including Glay and Dir En Grey, promoter of the J-Rock Revolution festival held in Los Angeles in 2007 and performer in the J-Rock supergroup S.K.I.N. Most recently, he has also contributed music for the movies CATACOMBS and SAW IV as well as announced plans for an X JAPAN reunion in Spring 2008.





JOSEPH BISHARA (Music Producer) is a composer and music producer who has worked in a variety of media with a wide range of artists. He has scored several films including "Autopsy" and "The Gravedancers", and also served as sound designer with John Carpenter on "Ghosts of Mars." Bishara's production work includes the cello rock band Rasputina album "Frustration Plantation." He has contributed programming and sound design for tracks and remixes by artists such as Jane's Addiction, Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, and Danzig and has created sound for several installations with multimedia artist Tiffany Trenda. Bishara lives in Studio City, CA.





DANIEL JASON HEFFNER (Producer)

Upon graduating from the Ithaca College School of Communications, Mr. Heffner worked as a Stage Manager and Production Assistant on the Academy Award winning film KRAMER VS. KRAMER, and then as a Research Assistant to Milos Forman on RAGTIME.



In January of 1980 Mr. Heffner moved to Los Angeles and became a member of the Director's Guild of America as a Second Assistant Director, working on such films as: PERSONAL BEST, AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN, RICHARD PRYOR LIVE ON THE SUNSET STRIP, and THE BIG CHILL. In 1982 he went to work for Columbia Pictures, working on various projects as a Production Manager and a First Assistant Director.



In 1985, Mr. Heffner was selected to be the first Production Executive for the newly restructured film division of the Walt Disney Studios. He oversaw the production of the following projects: THE COLOR OF MONEY, TOUGH GUYS, ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING, and THREE MEN AND A BABY. He also line produced COCKTAIL and THE GOOD MOTHER, on which he also served as the 1st Assistant Director. In 1988, Heffner was promoted to Vice President of Production, Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, where he was responsible for the production of over 25 pictures, including the highly successful Ernest series as well as MR. DESTINY, THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE, WILD HEARTS CAN'T BE BROKEN, WHITE FANG, SPACED INVADERS, GREENCARD, and BETSY'S WEDDING.



Mr.. Heffner left The Walt Disney Company in 1991 to pursue a career as an independent producer. Since then he has served as Co-Executive Producer and Production Manager of HOLY MATRIMONY; Co-Producer and First Assistant Director on HIGHWAY 395; First Assistant Director on WINTER BREAK; First Assistant Director on ACI/American Cinema, Inc's KILLER BUZZ; Co-Producer on Walt Disney Pictures GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE 2; Co-Producer and First Assistant Director on Twisted Pictures/Lionsgate Films SAW, and SAW II; Executive Producer on Twisted Pictures/Lionsgate Films SAW III and SAW IV; and Co-Producer on "P2" for Summit Entertainment and DEATH WALKS THE STREETS.





CARL MAZZOCONE (Producer)

Upon graduating from the School of Communications at Ithaca College, Carl Mazzocone started his career working in physical production in New York City on several movie-of-the-week and ABC after school specials. Mazzocone first feature film was as location Manager on JAWS 3D. In 1983, Mazzocone relocated to Los Angeles and commenced work on films including STARMAN and RUTHLESS PEOPLE. Throughout the mid-eighties Mazzocone created over a hundred production budgets and production schedules for Columbia Pictures, The Mount Company, Warner Brothers, Vestron Pictures, Prism Pictures and New World Pictures. Mazzocone's budgets and production schedules were used to attain green lights on such films as I'M GONNA GIT YO SUCKA, STEALING HOME and BULL DURHAM.



In order to realize his ultimate pursuit as a creative producer, in 1987 Mazzocone created his own development and production company, Main Line Pictures made its theatrical debut with the highly controversial feature film, BOXING HELENA. Main Line Pictures went on to produce films including BODY COUNT, GOOD ADVICE, RUN RONNIE, RUN, MR. SHOW WITH BOB AND DAVID, THE THREE AMIGOS, and SHADE. In 2006 Mazzocone, joined his colleagues Mark Burg and Oren Koules at Twisted Pictures and was named President of Production. While supervising the production of SAW III and SAW IV, Mazzocone has commenced extensive development of nine future horror projects for the company.





OREN KOULES (Producer)

Oren Koules began his career as a commodities trader in Chicago, where he worked for eight years before leaving as a member in good standing in 1992. Relocating to California, he began his career as a producer, partnered with Dale Pollock in Peak Productions. The two produced two successful films for Paramount, including the thriller SET IT OFF with Jada Pinkett and Queen Latifah and MRS. WINTERBOURNE with Shirley MacLaine. Koules then served as Senior Vice-President of Production with Paramount Pictures for two years before leaving to co-found Evolution Entertainment with Mark Burg. Koules produced SAW, one of the most profitable films of 2004, which lead to Evolution to signing a distribution deal with Lionsgate Films. A new company, Twisted Pictures, would become the result of the success. The Twisted slate included CATACOMBS, SAW II, SAW III, SAW IV and SAW V. Koules served as a Producer on Universal's DEAD SILENCE from SAW creators James Wan and Leigh Whannell. In addition to producing over 16 films in the feature world, Koules is also an Executive Producer on the CBS Emmy nominated television series "Two and a Half Men."





MARK BURG (Producer)

As co-founder of Evolution Entertainment and Twisted Pictures, Mark Burg has assembled an impressive client list that represents talent both in front of and behind the camera. Formerly the president of Island Pictures, Burg is a veteran film producer, whose credits include films like CAN'T BUY ME LOVE, BULL DURHAM, THE SANDLOT and THE GINGERBREAD MAN. After partnering with Oren Koules to form Evolution, their list of films produced includes JOHN Q, LOVE DON'T COST A THING, DUMB AND DUMBERER and GOOD ADVICE, and the CBS Emmy nominated television series "Two and a Half Men." Burg went on to produce SAW, one of the most profitable films of 2004, which lead to a distribution deal with Lionsgate Films and the formation of Twisted Pictures. The Twisted slate included CATACOMBS, SAW II, SAW III, SAW IV and SAW V. Burg also served as a Producer on Universal's DEAD SILENCE from SAW creators James Wan and Leigh Whannell.





JONATHAN MCHUGH (Executive Producer/Music Supervisor)

Jonathan McHugh has spent years producing music based films, supervising the music on films, and producing hit soundtracks. Currently, he is producing FLYING BY starring Billy Ray Cyrus, Heather Locklear, Oleysa Rulin ("High School Musical") and David Zayas ("Dexter").



McHugh started producing with the film CROSSROADS. He then co-created, co-wrote and produced the Lionsgate hip-hop/horror film anthology; "SNOOP DOG'S HOOD OF HORROR. His production company recently sold a show to the Disney Channel and a treatment for a Disney TV movie. Early in 2007, McHugh was supervising producer on the FUSE TV network show, "Bodog's Battle of the Bands".



Working at Jive Records and New Line Cinema prior to that, McHugh produced and marketed over 20 hit soundtracks including THIS CHRISTMAS, STEP UP, THE WOOD, AUSTIN POWERS, THE WEDDING SINGER, RUSH HOUR, BOOGIE NIGHTS, BLADE, SPAWN, MORTAL COMBAT II and most recently the NBC show "Friday Night Lights".



McHugh has music supervised over 20 film and TV projects, most recently including FINDING TATU, DOUBLETIME and NOBEL SON. Other films supervised include the hit SAW series of films, RIZE, DRIFTWOOD, 2001MANIACS, BE HERE TO LOVE ME, CHARM SCHOOL, PS, DUMB AND DUMBERER, ON THE LINE, ROGER DODGER, THE SECRET LIVES OF DENTISTS, as well as the TV movies A TAIL OF TWO BUNNIES, THE LONE RANGER and the first season of the hit WB TV show "Girlfriends".





JOSEPH WHITE (Cinematographer)

Cinematographer Joseph White was born and raised in New York City. He received a bachelor's degree from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in Cinema Studies with a focus on Film Theory and Criticism. Joe earned his Master's Degree from The University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television in May 2004 in Film Production. He has lensed several feature films and documentaries, has shot dozens of music videos and also many commercials. In February 2006, he was honored with the prestigious American Society of Cinematographers' Heritage Award for his work on the film ROGUE 379, and has been featured in such publications as American Cinematographer, Kodak's In Camera magazine, as well as Daily Variety and Hollywood Reporter.





DAVID HACKL (Production Designer)

David Hackl is a Toronto-based art director, production designer and commercial director. Over the past twenty years he has worked extensively in Canada and also the United States, Europe, The UK, Africa and South America.



David began his film career in 1983 working on countless music videos and commercials as an art director and 1989 he made the leap to commercial director. David returned to designing in 1998, when he was approached by Actor /Director Saul Rubinek to production design his debut feature JERRY AND TOM (starring Joe Mantegna and Sam Rockwell).



David Hackl's production design credits include Sci-Fi Channel series' "LEXX-the Dark Zone" and "Starhunter", the independent features CLUBLAND (starring Steven Webber and Alan Alda), the television films ZEBRA LOUNGE (starring Stephen Baldwin), "REDEMPTION-THE STAN TOOKIE WILLIAMS STORY (starring Jamie Foxx), THE RIVER MAN (starring Cary Elwes) and the 2003 miniseries THE GRID. In 2005, Hackl served as production designer on the feature films SAW II, SAW III and SKINWALKERS. He returned to the SAW franchise for SAW IV in 2006.



David is recently completed work on the epic Viking /Alien feature OUTLANDER for Ascendant Pictures and distributors The Weinstein Company. David lives in Toronto with his wife, producer Lorraine Ward Hackl and their two boys Sean (8) and Dylan (3).





ALEX KAVANAGH (Costume Designer)

Alex Kavanagh has been designing costumes for film and television since 1997. Her recent credits include GEORGE A. ROMERO'S DIARY OF THE DEAD which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, Allan Moyle's WIERDSVILLE, and Martin Gero's romantic comedy YOUNG PEOPLE FUCKING.



Alex designed the costumes for the very successful horror films SAW II, SAW III, and SAW IV directed by Darren L. Bousman, George A. Romero's LAND OF THE DEAD as well as GINGER SNAPS II and III. She also designed the costumes for Gregory MacKenzie's undead romantic comedy CAMILLE starring Sienna Miller and James Franco.



Comfortable with any genre of film, television, or theatre Kavanagh enjoys a creative challenge utilizing her theatre training at the Dalhousie University Costume Studies program from which she graduated in 1992.





MARIBETH KNEZEV (Key Makeup)

Maribeth Knezev began her career as a makeup artist in the 1990's in Toronto, Canada, working with award winning veteran actors such as Christopher Plummer, Charles Bronson and Jack Palance. As a child, Maribeth was recognized for her artistic ability especially in realism. During her teenage years she became involved in the Fashion Industry, which introduced her to makeup artistry. Expanding her knowledge base, Maribeth traveled to Los Angeles to apprentice at SPFX Makeup shops. Maribeth draws upon her background to create looks for contemporary, period, sci-fi and fantasy projects, most recently including the AMERICAN GIRL Films with Marcia Gay Harden and Kevin Zegers.









FINAL END CREDITS

Forthcoming