WWE Studios Release Their 2013 Movie Lineup

With a slew of movies coming out, 2013 looks set to be one of the biggest years yet for WWE Studios.

Over at PWTorch.com, James Caldwell notes that the near-decade-old film division has released its full lineup for the upcoming year (complete with a poster). 

The releases themselves are a mixed bag.

Some star big box-office names and are set for theatrical releases; others are going straight-to-DVD and may slip under the radar, like many other WWE films have.

Horror flick No One Lives looks to be the first major WWE release of the year, coming out in January of 2013, per the Torch. Featuring The Hobbit's Luke Evans in a leading role, it also co-stars comedy act Brodus Clay. The movie, which was shown at last year's Toronto Film Festival, has received early mixed reviews.

But it was nonetheless picked up by Anchor Bay Films last month (per Variety) for a theatrical release in North America.   

Per PWInsider, horror film Leprechaun: Origins is currently scheduled for a DVD and Blu-Ray release in March around WrestleMania time. The film, which is a remake of the 1993 cult classic Leprechaun, stars Dylan "Hornswoggle" Postl in his first leading role.

Theatrical releases Dead Man Down and The Hive mark two of WWE Studios most high-profile releases to date.

Deadline.com announced earlier this year that WWE were serving as co-financers and producers of Dead Man Down, which features A-list stars Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace. WWE wrestler Wade Barrett was given a supporting role in the film. 

Deadline notes the film, a crime thriller set in New York, is due for a March release.

The Hive, a serial-killer thriller starring Halle Berry and Abigail Breslin, is also co-produced and co-financed by WWE Studios, as the company announced in a press statement on their site earlier this year. David Otunga co-stars, and no release date has been announced.

Straight-to-DVD sequels The Marine 3: Homefront (starring The Miz) and 12 Rounds 2: Reloaded (starring Randy Orton) round out the list. Both films mark the first and second movies of WWE Studios' three-film deal with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Deadline reported the details earlier this year).

We can only hope The Chaperone 2: Retribution will be the next film announced as part of this deal.  

Per a recent Miz interview with The L.A Times' website, The Marine 3: Homefront is due out in the spring of 2013. While 12 Rounds 2 director Roele Reine noted on his official Twitter account that the film was being released in June of next year. 

Going down the list, it's difficult to tell which films will ultimately end up being successful.

With its A-list cast, Dead Man Down should garner a decent amount of attention upon its release and could potentially be a big hit. 

Colin Farrell's hit-and-miss track record at the box office may not help the film though.   

For its part, The Hive sounds like your typical "date movie" that tends to do quite well with cinema audiences. And it is directed by talented up-and-comer Brad Anderson, whose body of work includes classic shows like The Wire and Boardwalk Empire.

Of course, after a string of flops, Berry isn't the huge star she once was, but it's possible she could rebound with this movie.

It will also be interesting to see if WWE can get Berry to appear on Raw or SmackDown to promote the movie upon its release.

Sadly, No One Lives and Leprechaun: Origins sound like corny and mediocre low-budget horror movies destined to find their audiences two years from now on the Syfy channel at 2 a.m., similar to Kane's 2006 horror See No Evil.

But who knows? Maybe they will end up doing quite well and becoming profitable cult hits, like many B-list slasher films before them.  

The Marine 3: Homefront and 12 Rounds 2: Reloaded probably won't do anything special in terms of business, but it's perfectly possible they could end up performing decently.

Especially since the straight-to-DVD action genre is currently going through a minor revival, with the likes of Steven Seagal, Dolph Lundgren and former WWE star Steve Austin seemingly churning out new violent, low-budget action movies every other month.