Of all the different species of sharks that Sharknado director Anthony Ferrante has dropped on everyone from David Hasselhoff to Gary Busey, the great white shark remains his favorite.
“The great white is what started it all for shark movies,” Ferrante said. “If it wasn’t for Bruce (the legendary shark star of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws) I would’t be here. ”
Ferrante was the guest of honor at SharkCon 2017 in Tampa this weekend to promote the fifth installment in his summertime ode to the weather-centric shark phenomena, Sharknado 5: Global Swarming.
Even Ferrante, who has helmed all five movies in the series, is surprised by the cult following his movies have created. Ferrante told the SharkCon crowd that the low-budget production became “a global phenomenon with bubblegum and duct tape.”
He credits fans of the series for supporting the films for being the reason that the franchise has become as much of a summertime staple as Shark Week on Discovery Channel.
“After the first one we never thought about sequel but he we are on number five,” he said.
Sharknado 5 will air on SyFy Network on August 6 as part of a full week of shark-related science fiction programming. For the upcoming film, Ferrante promised the same tongue-in-cheek, self-deprecating humor wrapped in an absurd storyline that made the first four
Ian Ziering and Tara Reid will reprise their roles as Finn and April Shephard as they try to rescue their son from a globe-spanning sharkpocalypse.
Cameo appearances, which have always been a hallmark of the franchise, in this installment will include Fabio, Olivia Newton-John and Brett Michaels.
