Movies based on short films
I always love when the experiments of young filmmakers are given the chance to flourish on a full budget. Here are some examples where short subjects became... longer subjects! In alphabetical order.
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- DirectorShane AckerStarsElijah WoodJennifer ConnellyCrispin GloverA rag doll that awakens in a postapocalyptic future holds the key to humanity's salvation.Based on "9" (2005).
- DirectorTerry GilliamStarsBruce WillisMadeleine StoweBrad PittIn a future world devastated by disease, a convict is sent back in time to gather information about the man-made virus that wiped out most of the human population on the planet.Based on "La Jetee" (1962)
- DirectorShawn ChristensenStarsShawn ChristensenFatima PtacekEmmy RossumAt the lowest point of his life, Richie gets a call from his estranged sister, asking him to look after his 11-year old niece Sophia for a few hours.Based on "Curfew" (2012)
- DirectorPaul Thomas AndersonStarsMark WahlbergJulianne MooreBurt ReynoldsBack when sex was safe, pleasure was a business and business was booming, an idealistic porn producer aspires to elevate his craft to an art when he discovers a hot young talent.Based on "The Dirk Diggler Story" (1988)
- DirectorWes AndersonStarsLuke WilsonOwen WilsonNed DowdThree friends plan to pull off a simple robbery and go on the run.Based on "Bottle Rocket" (1994)
- DirectorSean EllisStarsSean BiggerstaffEmilia FoxMichelle RyanAfter a painful breakup, Ben develops insomnia. To kill time, he starts working the late night shift at the local supermarket, where his artistic imagination runs wild.Based on "Cashback" (2004)
- DirectorNeill BlomkampStarsSharlto CopleyDev PatelHugh JackmanIn the near future, crime is patrolled by a mechanized police force. When one police droid, Chappie, is stolen and given new programming, he becomes the first robot with the ability to think and feel for himself.Based on "Tetra Vaal" (2004)
- DirectorReb BraddockStarsWilliam BaldwinAngela JonesBruce RamsayAfter getting interested in murder as a kid in Colombia, Gabriela now has a scrapbook on murders including clippings on "The Blue Blood Killer". While cleaning his latest murder scene in Miami, she comes across a clue missed by the cops.Based on "Curdled" (1991)
- DirectorNeill BlomkampStarsSharlto CopleyDavid JamesJason CopeViolence ensues after an extraterrestrial race forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth finds a kindred spirit in a government agent exposed to their biotechnology.Based on "Alive in Joburg" (2006)
- DirectorSam RaimiStarsBruce CampbellEllen SandweissRichard DeManincorFive friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons.Based on "Within The Woods" (1978)
- DirectorTim BurtonStarsWinona RyderCatherine O'HaraMartin ShortWhen a boy's beloved dog passes away suddenly, he attempts to bring the animal back to life through a powerful science experiment.Based on "Frankenweenie" (1984)
- DirectorAna Lily AmirpourStarsSheila VandArash MarandiMarshall ManeshIn the Iranian ghost-town Bad City, a place that reeks of death and loneliness, the townspeople are unaware they are being stalked by a lonesome vampire.Based on "A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night" (2011)
- DirectorPaul Thomas AndersonStarsPhilip Baker HallJohn C. ReillyGwyneth PaltrowProfessional gambler Sydney teaches John the tricks of the trade. John does well until he falls for cocktail waitress Clementine.Based on "Cigarettes & Coffee" (1993)
- DirectorJohn PaysonStarsJerry O'ConnellMegan WardBilly WestA nice guy has just moved to New York and discovers that he must share his run-down apartment with a couple thousand singing, dancing cockroaches.Based on "Joe's Apartment" (1992)
- DirectorDavid F. SandbergStarsTeresa PalmerGabriel BatemanMaria BelloRebecca must unlock the terror behind her little brother's experiences that once tested her sanity, bringing her face to face with a supernatural spirit attached to their mother.Based on "Lights Out" (2013)
- DirectorAndy MuschiettiStarsJessica ChastainNikolaj Coster-WaldauMegan CharpentierAfter a young couple take in their two nieces, they suspect that a supernatural spirit named Mama has latched onto their family.Based on "Mama" (2008)
- DirectorJared HessStarsJon HederEfren RamirezJon GriesA listless and alienated teenager decides to help his new friend win the class presidency in their small western high school, while he must deal with his bizarre family life back home.Based on "Peluca" (2002)
- DirectorMike JudgeStarsRon LivingstonJennifer AnistonDavid HermanThree company workers who hate their jobs decide to rebel against their greedy boss.Based on "Office Space" (1991)
- DirectorChris ColumbusStarsAdam SandlerKevin JamesMichelle MonaghanWhen aliens misinterpret video feeds of classic arcade games as a declaration of war, they attack the Earth in the form of the video games.Based on "Pixels" (2010)
- DirectorJames WanStarsCary ElwesLeigh WhannellDanny GloverTwo strangers awaken in a room with no recollection of how they got there, and soon discover they're pawns in a deadly game.Based on "Saw" (2003)
- DirectorDestin Daniel CrettonStarsBrie LarsonFrantz TurnerJohn Gallagher Jr.A 20-something supervising staff member of a residential treatment facility navigates the troubled waters of that world alongside her co-worker and longtime boyfriend.Based on "Short Term 12" (2008)
- DirectorBilly Bob ThorntonStarsBilly Bob ThorntonDwight YoakamJ.T. WalshKarl Childers, a simple man hospitalized since his childhood murder of his mother and her lover, is released to start a new life in a small town.Based on "Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade" (1994)
- DirectorJim JarmuschStarsJohn LurieEszter BalintRichard EdsonA New Yorker's life is thrown into a tailspin when his younger cousin surprise-visits him, starting a strange, unpredictable adventure.Based on "Stranger Than Paradise" (1983)
- DirectorEvan GoldbergSeth RogenStarsJames FrancoJonah HillSeth RogenSix Los Angeles celebrities are stuck in James Franco's house after a series of devastating events just destroyed the city. Inside, the group not only have to face the apocalypse, but themselves.Based on "Jay and Seth Versus The Apocalypse" (2007)
- DirectorJim CummingsStarsJim CummingsKendal FarrNican RobinsonA police officer faces a personal meltdown following a divorce and the death of his mother.Based on "Thunder Road" (2016)