Bret Easton Ellis Would Like You To Fund His Movie For Porn Star James Deen Through Kickstarter

If you follow Bret Easton Ellis — author of American Psycho, Less Than Zero, etc. — on Twitter, you know that he’s become a bit of sad caricature of a Bret Easton Ellis character, one who’s obsessed with porn star James Deen, so much so that he penned a movie for Deen to star in (a move that some have interpreted as a desperate attempt to get Deen to have sex him).

And it’s that very movie Ellis wrote for Deen that has led him to Kickstarter: he’s asking for money to produce the project, which Ellis said will only feature actors and actresses who are willing “to act and be full frontal naked banging girls and guys realistically.”

Here’s the project description…

The Canyons is a contemporary thriller written by Bret Easton Ellis (Less Than Zero, American Psycho, etc.) to be directed by Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Affliction, Auto-Focus, etc.) The Canyons documents five twenty-something’s quest for power, love, sex and success in 2012 Hollywood.

The film is a collaborative effort stewarded by former Lionsgate producer Braxton Pope as a response to the changing landscape of the film industry. Pope, Ellis and Schrader are partly financing the film themselves through Pope’s new company Sodium Fox in order to maintain complete creative control of the distinct source material. According to Schrader, “We all experienced the frustrations of financing and institutional censorship. But now, with advances in digital photography and distribution, we can tell a story in the manner we choose. Movies are changing and we’re changing with it.”

The Canyons team has realized that Kickstarter is indeed a part of this new independent change, and is seeking to connect with our fan base even further with this campaign. Raising money will assist us in the production of our film in addition to increasing awareness of it. There is a distinct value in having an intimate relationship to those who care most about our work, and we are thankful to Kickstarter for helping foster these relationships.

And here’s the pitch video…

In return for helping to finance the film, Ellis and company are offering some unique perks that essentially dangle carrots in front of Hollywood wannabes’ hungry eyes. For instance, pledge $500 and Ellis and Pope will tweet and Facebook about your short film. Seven people have already pledged this amount. Pledge $501 or more and Pope will have coffee with you to discuss your project. (A Hollywood pitch meeting of your very own!) But wait — it gets better!

For $1,500: LIVE TWEET YOUR FEATURE FILM: Festival or TV premiere? — Bret Easton Ellis and Braxton Pope will Livetweet (approx 20 tweets) their honest thoughts on your film at the time of your choosing to their 390,000 followers/fans, hopefully helping you trend worldwide! They will also post about your film on their Facebook pages. — And everything in “The Canyons” script package. — Special Thanks in the closing credits

For $5,000: Bret Easton Ellis will read and review your novel and have that review appear on an international blog or website. (TBD) — Associate Producer credit on the film — You will also receive an autographed hardcover of every novel in Bret’s canon. — Two tickets to Wrap party — Handwritten thank you letter and on set photo from Bret and Paul, along with a shout out in the Making of the Canyons video.

For $5,001: Have your script covered by Paul Schrader: — Notes to be delivered in person (NY or LA) or skype — Associate Producer credit on the film — You will also receive 5 autographed copies of any script Paul has written plus everything in “The Canyons” script package. — Handwritten thank you letter and on set photo from Bret and Paul, along with a shout out in the Making of the Canyons video. — Two tickets to Wrap party.

There’s another one for $10,000 called “DeNiro’s Money Package” that features a money clip autographed by Robert DeNiro, but that one already sold. Tough bananas, Sparky.

(HT: LAist)

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