EMMERICH ABANDONS LOW-BUDGET MOVIE ON EVE OF PRODUCTION

Despite its ultra-low production cost, the “found footage” movie premise, exhibited in such films as the Blair Witch and Paranormal Activity movies, may be getting a little stale. That apparently is what has prompted director Roland Emmerich to abandon The Zone, a $5-million project that was supposed to start shooting next week. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the alien-invasion movie, in which actors were to improvise their lines, had already been in rehearsals when Emmerich shut it down. THR ticked off an array of low-budget films, inspired by the success of the previous “found footage” movies, that are due to be released in the coming months.