I realize that Joe Carnahan‘s The Grey has gotten some mention over the last day or two, but a producer friend told me about this a few days ago and I’ve decided it’s a must-see. I scratched Carnahan off my list after The A-Team, but this is about a bunch of guys who crash-land in some desolate Alaskan tundra and struggle to avoid being eaten by wolves. They get picked off one by one, of course.

The movie will sink or swim based on the realism of the wolves. I’m telling Carnahan right now that if he uses CG wolves he’s asking for trouble. By that I mean wolves that are obviously off a hard drive. If he can fool me into thinking they’re not, fine. But if I can spot the CG he’s a dead man.

I’ll tell you right now that Liam Neeson will either be the last guy to be eaten, or he won’t be eaten at all. Dermot Mulroney might get eaten, but he’ll last until the end. The others — Dallas Roberts, James Badge Dale, Frank Grillo, Nonso Anozie, Joe Anderson — will almost certainly die horribly. Ethnics, exotics and guys whose last names end in a vowel tend to go first. Guys with personality issues also die early.

Shooting will begin in Vancouver and the Northern British Columbia sometime this week. A year-end release would be likely.