Movie Cricket

The hottest movie property in Hollywood is being filmed right now in Utah.

The New York Times' Michael Cieply reports on the furious bidding war for "Area 51," a UFO-themed thriller being made for a $5 million budget in Utah. The Times reports that IM Global, the international sales agency that is representing the film, is looking for bids in the $10-million neighborhood — which is a nice neighborhood to be in.

Why does "Area 51" have bidders swarming like UFOs around an unsuspecting redneck? Because its writer-director, Oren Peli (pictured), made "Paranormal Activity," the little thriller made on a shoestring budget ($15,000 initially) and has made $62.5 million so far at the box office.

Very few people are talking on the record about the bidding war for "Area 51." The only on-the-record source Cieply cites about the bidding is a spokeswoman from one studio that isn't in the hunt: Paramount Pictures, the studio now releasing "Paranormal Activity."