John Landis

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Michael Jackson "Thriller" To Return... in 3D

Is it ironic that Michael Jackson's "Thriller" is the music video that keeps finding new life?

Now that director John Landis has settled his lawsuit over his profit share from the video — I assume for way more than the $75,000 actress Ola Ray got in a lawsuit over her role as MJ's GF —  the Michael Jackson estate is ready to make some more money off this underutilized asset.

"That lawsuit went on for so many years, (but) we settled and they paid me finally. And so, actually there is something happening with ‘Thriller." - John Landis, director

Landis has revealed that a revamped and newly 3D version of the video will be released next year, with a planned theatrical run and BluRay edition. And, a Jackson Estate insider adds that a "dance experience or a zombie-style,shoot-’ em-up" video game is also in the cards.

So, dust off those red leather jackets and practice that dopey dance — "Thriller" is gonna be rising from the dead sometime soon.

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John Landis Talks About the Ultimate Vanity Video: Thriller

"What’s important to remember is Thriller had already become the most successful album of all time. So this is what was called a vanity video... They don’t sell records; they’re there to make the artist happy.”  — John Landis, director [via Newsweek]

It's hard to argue with "Thrille" as the Greatest Video Of All Time, and it's even harder to find fault with this retelling of the video's Behind The Scenes story via Newsweek.

At the time "Thriller" was considered an exercise in artistic excess: Spending over 10x the normal budget on a nearly 14 minute opus that was part horror film and part dance extravaganza is not generally considered smart business. But, nearly everything about the video became a cultural landmark from the wardrobe to the dance and let's face it: The video was all Zombies before Zombies were all the rage.