The Army Is Coming. FRANKENSTEIN'S ARMY. Production Details Announced!

[Post updated with the official press release announcing the financing and production pans for the feature. Frankenstein's Army will be arriving on screens in 2012. And, yes, that's me in the press release.]

A few years back Dutch director Richard Raaphorst made an enormous splash around the world with a pair of promo reels for a proposed Nazi zombie picture titled Worst Case Scenario. The work was stunning, frankly, and though we are now years away from that project falling apart it still stands as one of the great films that was never made. People wanted this film. Hell, they wanted anything at all from Raaphorst.
 
Well. It's 2011 and he's moved on by casting his eye to the past. Prepare yourself for Frankenstein's Army.

Using shocking vintage newsreel footage as his basis Raaphorst has cut together a promo for his new project. A project based on the brilliantly simple premise that as World War II was running down a desperate and increasingly occult-obsessed Adolf Hitler stumbled across the collected writings of one Victor Frankenstein. And with his troops dwindling Hitler put those pages to work.

It was announced today that MPI Media Group, LA-based XYZ Films and Pellicola of Amsterdam have entered into a coproduction deal to produce Richard Raaphorst's FRANKENSTEIN'S ARMY. The production-distribution deal was negotiated by Greg Newman, Executive Vice President of MPI Media Group, parent company of Dark Sky Films, Nate Bolotin of XYZ and Daniel Koefoed of Pellicola. MPI Media Group is financing the production while MPI and XYZ are co-representing international sales rights. Shooting is to begin in the spring in Prague and Amsterdam and will be completed by late fall.

Raaphorst's Worst Case Scenario stands as one of the great horror films that never was. The Nazi-zombie project whipped up a massive international following thanks to two early promo reels. But due to financing and production difficulties, the project was abandoned in 2009. Now, director Raaphorst will bring his visionary design skills to this new horror movie, to be distributed by MPI/Dark Sky Films in North America.

Director Raaphorst co-wrote FRANKENSTEIN'S ARMY and the film will be produced by Nick Jongerius and Daniel Koefoed (Harry Doright and Dead End) of Pellicola and Todd Brown of XYZ Films. Nate Bolotin, Aram Tertzakian and Nick Spicer of XYZ Films will serve as Executive Producers, and the director of photography will be Gabor Deak (Sextet).

MPI's Greg Newman, in announcing the production, said: "We are excited to be partnered with XYZ Films and Pellicola in bringing to the screen the next work by one of the truly remarkable filmmakers working today. If the worldwide public clamor for Worst Case Scenario is any indication, Richard's startling vision for FRANKENSTEIN'S ARMY will thrill viewers everywhere."

Using shocking vintage newsreel footage as his jumping-off point, Raaphorst has hit on a unique and bold premise. Toward the end of World War II, Russian soldiers pushing into eastern Germany stumble across a secret Nazi lab, one that has unearthed and begun experimenting with the journal of one Dr. Victor Frankenstein. The scientists have used the legendary's Frankenstein's work to assemble an army of supersoldiers stitched together from the body parts of their fallen comrades - a desperate Hitler's last ghastly ploy to escape defeat.

Check the exclusive promo below for a taste of what's coming.