The British filmmaker, Ben Wheatley, has designed the cover for the new issue of Film Stories magazine. It features hand-drawn illustrations by Wheatley of himself and several other actors and filmmakers - plus a hairy chimpanzee from the horror film, Primate.
The collaboration came about when Film Stories editor Ryan Lambie interviewed Wheatley for his new film, Bulk, says the publisher. Lambie was so taken by the hand-crafted look of the film that he thought about giving the entire magazine a similar feel. Lambie got in touch with Wheatley’s team, and the filmmaker agreed to create the cover art.
With the next issue’s coverlines for guidance, Wheatley - who also produces his own fanzines about filmmaking - came up with the idea of putting caricatures of the British filmmakers featured in the magazine on the cover, the publisher continued. Over a period of a couple of weeks, Wheatley sent regular updates of how the artwork was coming along, and how he incorporated several selfies (taken by the filmmakers involved) into the cover.
The cover stars, as drawn by Wheatley, include Sam Riley and Alexandra Maria Lara; director Corin Hardy for his new horror, Whistle; filmmakers Jadey Duffield and Dog Soldiers director Neil Marshall; the chimpanzee from Primate; plus Wheatley himself.
Bulk is a low-budget sci-fi thriller from Wheatley, whose previous films include Kill List, Sightseers, Rebecca and Meg 2: The Trench. Starring Sam Riley, Alexandra Maria Lara and Noah Taylor, it's an unforgettable journey through time and space, albeit set within the confines of an ordinary-looking British house.
This special edition of Film Stories also comes with the chance to buy an exclusive merchandise bundle that includes the magazine, a fanzine signed by Wheatley and a copy of Bulk on Blu-ray, added the publisher.
Ryan Lambie, editor of Film Stories, said: "Ben Wheatley is one of Britain's most exciting filmmakers, so to have him design a cover for Film Stories is an absolute thrill. He's created an exclusive piece of artwork that reflects both the hand-crafted feel of his magnificent new sci-fi film, Bulk, and the frankly ludicrous amount of good stuff you'll find inside the magazine - including a huge chat with Mr Wheatley about Star Wars knock-offs, low-budget filmmaking and the end of the world."
The publisher says the issue has been printed on matte paper, to give it a rougher, DIY feel, like all good fanzines. The UK film magazine will have its usual 168 pages of news, reviews and behind-the-scenes production stories. Preorders opened at 1pm on Wednesday 18th March, and you can buy your copy here.
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