Vertical Movies, Here We Come: First Up Is Timur Bekmambetov’s $10 Million War Drama

In the early days of smartphone video, shooting something vertically amounted to sacrilege to many purists who believed only in landscape orientation. Snapchat and TikTok eroded that sentiment enough that the upcoming Quibi platform will let viewers watch mobile-only shows both vertically and horizontally. Now, pioneering filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov is taking it a step further: His upcoming $10 million film “V2. Escape From Hell” is a World War II drama shot with vertical framing and smartphone audiences in mind.

Deadline reports the movie will be the world’s first blockbuster shot in that orientation. Production starts next week on the Russian film, starring Pavel Priluchny as Mikhail Devyatayev, a captured Soviet pilot who leads an escape from a German concentration camp by hijacking an aircraft.

The fact-based film is produced by Bekmambetov’s Bazelevs and Voenfilm in partnership with Russia’s biggest mobile phone operator MTS, which will release the Russian version on its digital platform early next year.

A second English-language version will also be produced. It will will include different scenes and will open with the Luftwaffe bombing raids against London.

In an IndieWire profile of Bekmambetov in 2018, the Russian filmmaker discussed his dissatisfaction with current movies that use traditional production methods — everything, he said, feels derivative.

He’s produced several movies using Screenlife software, which allows filmmakers to create movies where the action takes place on a computer screen. Among them is “Unfriended: Dark Web,” the sequel to the 2014 found-footage horror film whose story unfolds through Skype conversations. The original was produced for $1 million, acquired by Universal, and went on to gross over $16 million. The similarly budgeted sequel grossed $16.4 million for Universal.

Bekmambetov also produced the vertical series “Dead of Night,” which was released on Snapchat in September. It followed a girl trying to escape a zombie apocalypse.

Quibi is banking that audiences are ready to consume Hollywood-produced content in vertical form. When the platform launches April 6, it will be available only on phones and tablets. Each series or movie is produced to natively display in either vertical or horizontal form. Viewers can switch seamlessly back and forth thanks to the company’s Turnstile technology. Some vertical views offer a re-cut or reframed version of what’s shown horizontally; other instances take a page out of Bekmambetov’s Screenlife playbook and offer a view of a character’s smartphone.

Quibi: Watch All the Trailers From the New Streaming Service

Quibi is coming. That’s not so much a threat — like it might sound — but instead a warning for your personal Peak TV preparation purposes. The mobile short-form streaming service backed by Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman is set to launch on April 6, with episodes of each of its series clocking in at a runtime of under 10 minutes. “Quibi” is an abbreviation for “quick bites,” you see, in case you missed the Super Bowl ad.

After inking approximately a gazillion deals with big-name talent and an unveiling at Sundance, Quibi is set to release approximately 175 series within its first year for $5 a month for its ad-supported service.

IndieWire will be keeping track of every new Quibi trailer—and updating this list right here—as they drop:

“Elba Vs. Block”

Quibi’s bite-sized description: “Insane stunts, cars, and superstars. Idris Elba and Ken Block go head to head to see who’s the best behind the driver’s seat. Elba Vs. Block.”

This eight-episode Quibi series sees multi-hyphenate Idris Elba face-off against professional rally driver Ken Block in various car-based setpieces, such as the “Flaming Obstacle Course” and “Wall of Death.”

“Flipped”

Quibi’s bite-sized description: “Will Forte. Kaitlin Olson. Renovations & cartels. Flipped.”

In this comedy series produced by Funny or Die, Will Forte and Kaitlin Olson star as a “chronically underemployed” couple who set out to become the next great home-renovation show due. When they find $500,000 in a house they’re attempting to renovate, they end up on the radar of a cartel (played by Andy Garcia, Eva Longoria, and Arturo Castro).

“The Fugitive”

Quibi’s bite-sized description: “Wrongfully accused. On the run. The Fugitive. Kiefer Sutherland and Boyd Holbrook.”

Boyd Holbrook stars in this modern, social media-tinged update of the 1960s television series and 1993 Harrison Ford flick of the same name. In this version of the series, Holbrook plays Mike Ferro, a blue-collar worker (and ex-con) framed for an explosion on a Los Angeles train. Kiefer Sutherland also stars, as Detective Clay Bryce, the man leading the charge in finding Ferro.

“Most Dangerous Game”

Quibi’s bite-sized description: “Staying alive comes at a price. Liam Hemsworth and Christoph Waltz. Most Dangerous Game.”

From writer Nick Santora (“Breakout Kings,” “Scorpion”) comes “Most Dangerous Game,” a thriller starring Liam Hemsworth and Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz. In the Quibi originals, Hemsworth stars as a terminally ill man who decides he will do anything to be able to care for his pregnant wife — including partaking in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse that could mean a payday of $24.5 million. That is, if he makes it out alive after 24 hours.

“NightGowns with Sasha Velour”

Quibi’s bite-sized description: “Nothing feels more alive. Sasha Velour welcomes you to NightGowns.”

Described as “part performance documentary, part portrait,” “NightGowns” follows drag queen Sasha Velour as she adapts her monthly theatrical drag showcase into a fully-produced stage performance. All eight episodes in this docuseries will feature a choreographed closing lip-sync number, directed by esteemed music video director Sophie Muller.

“Punk’d with Chance the Rapper”

Quibi’s bite-sized description: “Chance The Rapper is now Chance The Pranker. No one is safe.”

“Punk’d” is back, and now it’s on Quibi, with Chance the Rapper as its new Punk’r in charge. Quibi will also be rebooting another MTV classic, in the form of “Singled Out.”

“The Stranger”

Quibi’s bite-sized description: “To: you. From: your secret admirer. Dane DeHaan and Maika Monroe. The Stranger from Director Veena Sud.”

In a twisted bit of Valentine’s Day synergy, Quibi has released the trailer for its original series “The Stranger.” This thriller stars DeHaan as a homicidal sociopath… and the latest passenger in a rideshare driver’s (Monroe) car. Over the course of 12 hours — which is much shorter in Quibi time — the two end up playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse throughout Los Angeles.

“Survive”

Quibi’s bite-sized description: “There’s only one rule when you’re fighting for your life. Sophie Turner and Corey Hawkins. Survive.”

Post-“Game of Thrones,” Sophie Turner stars in this Quibi original as two survivors of a plane crash that strands them on a remote mountain. “Survive” is based on the Alex Morel novel of the same name and also stars Corey Hawkins (“Straight Outta Compton”).

Quibi: Watch All the Trailers From the New Streaming Service

Quibi is coming. That’s not so much a threat — like it might sound — but instead a warning for your personal Peak TV preparation purposes. The mobile short-form streaming service backed by Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman is set to launch on April 6, with episodes of each of its series clocking in at a runtime of under 10 minutes. “Quibi” is an abbreviation for “quick bites,” you see, in case you missed the Super Bowl ad.

After inking approximately a gazillion deals with big-name talent and an unveiling at Sundance, Quibi is set to release approximately 175 series within its first year for $5 a month for its ad-supported service.

IndieWire will be keeping track of every new Quibi trailer—and updating this list right here—as they drop:

“Elba Vs. Block”

Quibi’s bite-sized description: “Insane stunts, cars, and superstars. Idris Elba and Ken Block go head to head to see who’s the best behind the driver’s seat. Elba Vs. Block.”

This eight-episode Quibi series sees multi-hyphenate Idris Elba face-off against professional rally driver Ken Block in various car-based setpieces, such as the “Flaming Obstacle Course” and “Wall of Death.”

“Flipped”

Quibi’s bite-sized description: “Will Forte. Kaitlin Olson. Renovations & cartels. Flipped.”

In this comedy series produced by Funny or Die, Will Forte and Kaitlin Olson star as a “chronically underemployed” couple who set out to become the next great home-renovation show due. When they find $500,000 in a house they’re attempting to renovate, they end up on the radar of a cartel (played by Andy Garcia, Eva Longoria, and Arturo Castro).

“The Fugitive”

Quibi’s bite-sized description: “Wrongfully accused. On the run. The Fugitive. Kiefer Sutherland and Boyd Holbrook.”

Boyd Holbrook stars in this modern, social media-tinged update of the 1960s television series and 1993 Harrison Ford flick of the same name. In this version of the series, Holbrook plays Mike Ferro, a blue-collar worker (and ex-con) framed for an explosion on a Los Angeles train. Kiefer Sutherland also stars, as Detective Clay Bryce, the man leading the charge in finding Ferro.

“Most Dangerous Game”

Quibi’s bite-sized description: “Staying alive comes at a price. Liam Hemsworth and Christoph Waltz. Most Dangerous Game.”

From writer Nick Santora (“Breakout Kings,” “Scorpion”) comes “Most Dangerous Game,” a thriller starring Liam Hemsworth and Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz. In the Quibi originals, Hemsworth stars as a terminally ill man who decides he will do anything to be able to care for his pregnant wife — including partaking in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse that could mean a payday of $24.5 million. That is, if he makes it out alive after 24 hours.

“NightGowns with Sasha Velour”

Quibi’s bite-sized description: “Nothing feels more alive. Sasha Velour welcomes you to NightGowns.”

Described as “part performance documentary, part portrait,” “NightGowns” follows drag queen Sasha Velour as she adapts her monthly theatrical drag showcase into a fully-produced stage performance. All eight episodes in this docuseries will feature a choreographed closing lip-sync number, directed by esteemed music video director Sophie Muller.

“Punk’d with Chance the Rapper”

Quibi’s bite-sized description: “Chance The Rapper is now Chance The Pranker. No one is safe.”

“Punk’d” is back, and now it’s on Quibi, with Chance the Rapper as its new Punk’r in charge. Quibi will also be rebooting another MTV classic, in the form of “Singled Out.”

“The Stranger”

Quibi’s bite-sized description: “To: you. From: your secret admirer. Dane DeHaan and Maika Monroe. The Stranger from Director Veena Sud.”

In a twisted bit of Valentine’s Day synergy, Quibi has released the trailer for its original series “The Stranger.” This thriller stars DeHaan as a homicidal sociopath… and the latest passenger in a rideshare driver’s (Monroe) car. Over the course of 12 hours — which is much shorter in Quibi time — the two end up playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse throughout Los Angeles.

“Survive”

Quibi’s bite-sized description: “There’s only one rule when you’re fighting for your life. Sophie Turner and Corey Hawkins. Survive.”

Post-“Game of Thrones,” Sophie Turner stars in this Quibi original as two survivors of a plane crash that strands them on a remote mountain. “Survive” is based on the Alex Morel novel of the same name and also stars Corey Hawkins (“Straight Outta Compton”).