House of the Dead Director Picked

Daily Variety reported today that Bob Dylan's son has been attached to the feature film version of Sega's arcade game House of the Dead as director. This isn't Jakob Dylan, who has become a familiar (on MTV at any rate) figure for his work with his band the Wallflowers, though. This is Bob's son Jesse who has been tapped to direct House of the Dead, the movie.

And, truth to tell, Jesse Dylan wasn't exactly tapped to direct the film. Jesse actually tapped himself; he optioned the rights to the film from Sega out of his own pocket.

But, Variety reported Wednesday, Dreamworks SKG subsequently picked up the rights to the feature film for a mid-six-figure sum, with Dylan attached as producer and director.

Writer Mark Verheiden - who brought Time Cop and The Mask to the big screen - worked on a narrative storyline with Dylan, and Verheiden will write the movie's screenplay.

Dylan has directing experience under his belt - he has worked on music videos and TV commercials. He is also bringing a film version of Neverwhere (based on the fantasy novel/screenplay by Neil Gaiman, known for his work on the Sandman comic book) to the big screen - as its director - and is producing Pure Evel, a biopic of stunt motorcycle driver Evel Knievel.

Verheiden's and Dylan's House of the Dead is a house in a small town where the local college's most fashionable kids happen to also be zombies. A zombie murder at a rave sets up the invasion of the "Goth" house by the film's heroes.

Now this reporter has played the game House of the Dead before, and I don't remember any raves or fashionable, popular kids/zombies. But maybe that's just me....