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You may have already heard about "Stay Alive," the soon-to-be-filming slasher movie that will mark Frankie Muniz's first adult stab at drama. You may have even heard about the film's "Ring"-influenced plot, which centers around a group of teenagers who find themselves hooked on a video game that kills them one by one. The surprising news, however, is that the serial killer inhabiting the game is going to be portrayed by a woman. "[I've] landed a principal role in 'Stay Alive,' " said actress and former Miss Russia Masha Kalinina. "I'm playing a serial killer. So I kill everyone in the film. She's a pretty nasty individual, like a Freddy Krueger-type. She enjoys killing kids and licking their blood." According to Kalinina, the "Malcolm in the Middle" star is working hard to expand his range, and the filmmakers already have such high hopes that they're talking sequel. "It's going to be a big stretch for [Muniz] in this kind of movie," she said. "I don't know exactly what kind of character he plays, because I'm too busy developing my own [character]. They already sold the sequel for this film. So let's see if we survive with one group altogether. We're going to be shooting in New Orleans May 1." ...


HORROR MOVIE TO BE FILMED IN NEW ORLEANS
NEW ORLEANS - Two Hollywood production companies are teaming up to film a horror movie called "Stay Alive" in New Orleans this March.

The movie is about a group of local teens who play a horror video game. As their characters die in the game, they die in real life. The film's cast has not yet been announced.

James Stern's Endgame Entertainment and McG and Stephanie Savage's Wonderland Sound & Vision are co-producing the film. Wonderland is developing several feature films and produces "The O.C." on Fox and "The Mountain" on The WB.

"Stay Alive" will be directed by Brent Bell, who co-wrote the script with Matthew Peterman. Peterman, Peter Schlessel and McG, who directed "Charlie's Angels" will produce the movie.

Endgame Entertainment is one of the production and finance companies behind such recent releases as "Beyond the Sea", "Hotel Rwanda", "White Noise", and others. The company has worked with the state to secure grants from the Louisiana Economic Development Corp. as well as tax rebates through the state's film industry incentive programs.

Endgame plans to shoot several film projects in Louisiana over the next several years. After "Stay Alive" wraps, the company plans to begin work on "The Blair Witch Project" director Dan Myrick's next film "Solstice".