Want to remake the worst movie ever made? Plan 709 from Outer Space is calling

A notoriously awful science fiction film from classic Hollywood director Ed Wood is now the subject of a new challenge from the organizers behind the Nickel Independent Film Festival.

The 1957 movie Plan 9 from Outer Space is inspiring the production ofPlan 709 from Outer Space, a collaborative film project that anyone can sign up for.

"People appreciate it in a special way," saidorganizer Elling Lien of the original movie. "People have called it the worst film ever made."

Wood's science fiction flop eventually becamea cult classic, inspiring the 1994 Oscar-winning movie Ed Wood, which is about its production. Actor Martin Landau won an Academy Award for playing Bela Lugosi, the former horror star who appeared in Plan 9.

The original filmstars altruistic aliens trying to stop humanity from creating a doomsday weapon that threatens to wipe out Earth's existence. "Plan 9" is their strategy: reviving masses of zombie soldiers to scare living humans into heeding their warning.

It doesn't have to be good, it just has to be done.- Mike Fardy

Starting Saturday, amateur filmmakers around Newfoundland and Labrador can begin signing up for clips from the movie, which they'll then reimagine, act out and film in whatever format they wish.

The clips, from makers across the province, will be spliced back together as a patchwork remake of the entire film.

Lien encourages creativity here. The more absurd, the better. He envisions the final remake as "a joyful collage of wild reinterpretations," he said.

Like with the film festival's other movie-making challenges, Plan 709 is "about just jumping into film head first and just doing whatever you can," saidco-organizer Mike Fardy.

"It doesn't have to be good, it just has to be done."

Assigned clips, ranging from 30 seconds to five minutes, will have a rolling weekly deadline. The pair hopeto have the final remake edited in time to showcase it at the Nickel festival at the end of June.

For the organizers, it's the perfect movie to have a bit of fun with.

"It's a real joy it's one of these movies that are so bad it's good. Anybody who's thinking they don't have what it takes to make movies can watch that and think, 'I think I can,'" saidFardy.

"The great thing about this one is, you can't really make it worse."

Weekend AM9:50Plan 709 from Outer Space

Elling Lien and Mike Fardy of The Nickel Independent Film Festival talk about plans to remake the sci-fi horror classic "Plan 9 from Outer Space" just in time for next month's festival

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