Tag: Horror

Posted on in Film News, News

‘Blade’: Director Bassam Tariq Praises Wesley Snipes/Original Film Alongside Reboot’s Black Talent

Not too long ago, director Bassam Tariq (Mogul Mowgli) confirmed to The Playlist he had signed-on to direct the new Blade reboot for Marvel Studios and kept coy about his plans for the Daywalker.

“Character is very important for me. I don’t think of genre, I think of character. It’s not so boxed in as people imagine it to be [working with Marvel Studios]. It’s quite exciting. And I think the reality is there is no Blade canon, you know? If you ever read the comics, they’re always changing…Unfortunately, the [comic book series] never lasted that long.”

If you’re not familiar with the behind-the-scenes development of Blade, star Wesley Snipes worked closely with director Stephen Norrington and screenwriter David S. Goyer shaping the exploitation comic book character for the big screen.

While speaking with IndieWire last month, the Pakistani-American filmmaker praised not only what Wesley Snipes did as a creative force on the original films, but also highlighting the work that star Mahershala Ali and screenwriter Stacy Osei-Kuffour (Watchmen, Hunters) are doing as fellow collaborators on the reboot.

“What’s exciting about the film that we’re making is [there] hasn’t been a canon for Blade, as we’re reading through the comics and everything. Him being a daywalker is the one thing that’s been established, and you know we can’t deny what Wesley Snipes did, which was he basically got this whole ball rolling. A Black man created the superhero world that we’re in, that’s just the truth. For me to now be working with somebody as talented and a juggernaut as Mahershala Ali, and the writer Stacy Osei-Kuffour, I’m just so — I’m so honored to be working with real Black juggernauts and Black talent. For me to just be with them in this room and listen and learn as I build this out, it’s really an honor.”

It’ll be interesting if they’ll consider bringing The Vampire Nation to the MCU and we still don’t know if the R-rated action franchise will be turned into something more family-friendly with the studio’s standard PG-13 rating. Then again, Marvel has confirmed Deadpool 3 will be R-rated, giving us hope projects like Blade might also keep it’s mature aspects.

Outside of trade reports of Blade shooting next year, we don’t have an official release date (will likely be announced soon) or a supporting cast that will be assembled around Mahershala Ali.

BLADE – A half-mortal, half-immortal is out to avenge his mother’s death and rid the world of vampires. The modern-day technologically advanced vampires he is going after are in search of his special blood type needed to summon an evil god who plays a key role in their plan to execute the human race.

SOURCE: INDIEWIRE

Posted on in Film News, News

New ‘Hellraiser’ Movie Will Have A Female Version Of Pinhead Played By Jamie Clayton

Nia DaCosta’s recent release of the Candyman soft-reboot proved that not all horror remakes/re-imaginings are created equal, some can actually improve upon the original. However, we get plenty of examples of films that just shouldn’t exist and because of this, it’s tough to gauge which projects will ultimately be great.

A new Hellraiser movie is on the way at Spyglass Media Group and in a press release via The Playlist that their new horror flick, directed by David Bruckner, is heading to Hulu. Mentioned in the casting list, Jamie Clayton will be playing a female incarnation of the beloved horror iconic Pinhead.

Also, Clive Barker has joined the film as an executive producer.

According to Spyglass and Hulu, the “loyal, yet evolved re-imagining” of “Hellraiser” stars Odessa A’zion (“Grand Army”) in the lead role opposite Jamie Clayton (“Sense8”) as the iconic Pinhead. Yes, it appears Pinhead is getting a major makeover with Clayton taking on the role and putting a new spin on the legendary horror baddie. The supporting cast includes Brandon Flynn (“13 Reasons Why”), Goran Visnjic (“The Boys”), Drew Starkey (“Love, Simon”), Adam Faison (“Everything’s Gonna Be Okay”), Aoife Hinds (“Normal People”), and Hiam Abbass (“Succession”). In addition, “Hellraiser” creator and filmmaker, Clive Barker, has joined the project as an executive producer.

The Illuminerdi first reported on the casting of Odessa A’zion.

Some other installments of established horror franchises on the horizon include Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City, Scream 5, a new Texas Chainsaw Massacre film heading to Netflix, and lost-gesting reboot of Friday The 13th.

HELLRAISER – Sexual deviant Frank (Sean Chapman) inadvertently opens a portal to hell when he tinkers with a box he bought while abroad. The act unleashes gruesome beings called Cenobites, who tear Frank’s body apart. When Frank’s brother (Andrew Robinson) and his wife, Julia (Clare Higgins), move into Frank’s old house, they accidentally bring what is left of Frank back to life. Frank then convinces Julia, his one-time lover, to lure men back to the house so he can use their blood to reconstruct himself.

SOURCE: THE PLAYLIST

Posted on in Film News, News

‘Salem’s Lot’: James Wan-Produced Vampire Pic Taps ‘Top Gun: Maverick’s Lewis Pullman As Lead Of The Stephen King Adaptation

New Line Cinema, producer James Wan, and writer/director Gary Dauberman are teaming up for a new feature film adaption of the Stephen King novel Salem’s Lot, which features vampires in a small town.

Salem’s Lot is a small New England town with white clapboard houses, tree-lined streets, and solid church steeples. A stranger had also come to the Lot, a stranger with a secret as old as evil, a secret that would wreak irreparable harm on those he touched and in turn on those they loved. Author Ben Mears returns to Salem’s Lot to write a book about a house that has haunted him since childhood only to find his isolated hometown infested with vampires. While the vampires claim more victims, Mears convinces a small group of believers to combat the undead.

There is finally some casting news to share on the project.

The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that the horror film’s protagonist, Ben Mears, will be played by Lewis Pullman (son of Bill Pullman), who is likely best known from Bad Times At The El Royale and will be seen in Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick.

Filming on Salem’s Lot begins next month in Boston, according to the report.

It’ll be interesting if they’ll end up hiring bigger names or seasoned actors to surround Pullman in the supporting cast.

You might remember that Gary Dauberman previously wrote the scripts for Andy Muschietti’s It and It: Chapter Two for director, another Stephen King adaptation. He’s also wrote stuff such as the Swamp Thing series, The Nun, Annabelle Comes Homes, Annabelle: Creation, and Annabelle.

The Ronin previously confirmed that cinematographer Michael Burgess would be the film’s director of photography. With extensive horror credits such as Annabelle Comes Home, The Nun, The Conjuring 2, The Curse of La Llorona, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, and James Wan’s upcoming horror pic Malignant.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Posted on in News, Television News

‘Firebite’: Aussie Vampire Hunter Series To Debut This Winter On AMC+

AMC Studios and See-Saw Picture are teaming for a new indigenous vampire hunter series, Firebite, set in Australia. The project from Warwick Thornton will star Yael Stone, Rob Collins, Callan Mulvey, and newcomer Shantae Barnes-Cowan.

Mulvey is likely the recognizable name there having appeared in Hollywood projects such as Zero Dark Thirty, Captain America: Civil War, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, 300: Rise of An Empire, Warcraft, Outlaw King, Avengers: Endgame, and The Russo Brothers’ expensive spy flick The Gray Man.

The project has begun production in South Australia with the 8-episode series to debut on AMC+ this winter.

Below is the official press release.

AMC+ announced today the start of production on the Original Series Firebite in South Australia this week, with Yael Stone (Orange is the New Black), Rob Collins (Cleverman, Extraction) and Callan Mulvey (Avengers: End Game) in leading roles. The series will also introduce Indigenous Australian star Shantae Barnes-Cowan.

Firebite is set in a remote desert mining town, a hive for the last vampire stronghold shipped from Britain to Australia in 1788 by the colonial superpower to eradicate the Indigenous populations. Sheltering from the sun in the underground mines and tunnels that surround the town until the present day, the colony’s numbers and hunger is growing. War is coming. Tyson and Shanika stand vanguard to the war. But what hope does an expertly reckless man full of bravado and a 17-year-old orphan possibly have to defeat these vicious blood-thirsty parasites, when legions of warriors before them have failed?

A co-production between AMC Studios and  See-Saw Films, Firebite is a high-octane, highly original spin on the Vampire genre and fantasy series that follows two Indigenous Australian hunters, Tyson (Collins) and Shanika (Barnes-Cowan), on their quest to battle the last colony of vampires in the middle of the South Australian desert.

The series is comprised of eight, one-hour episodes set to debut on AMC+ this winter.

Created and written by Australia’s most celebrated Indigenous auteur voice, Warwick Thornton (Samson and Delilah, Sweet Country), who also directs along with Brendan Fletcher (Mad Bastards) and Tony Krawitz (The Tall Man, Dead Europe)

SOURCE: AMC

Posted on in Film News, News

‘Salem’s Lot’: James Wan-Produced Vampire Flick Adds ‘Malignant’ Cinematographer Michael Burgess

New Line Cinema, producer James Wan, and writer/director Gary Dauberman are re-teaming for a feature film adaptation of the Stephen King vampire novel Salem’s Lot.

Salem’s Lot is a small New England town with white clapboard houses, tree-lined streets, and solid church steeples. A stranger had also come to the Lot, a stranger with a secret as old as evil, a secret that would wreak irreparable harm on those he touched and in turn on those they loved. Author Ben Mears returns to Salem’s Lot to write a book about a house that has haunted him since childhood only to find his isolated hometown infested with vampires. While the vampires claim more victims, Mears convinces a small group of believers to combat the undead.

Dauberman has some strong horror credits as he previously wrote the scripts for It and It: Chapter Two for director Andy Muschietti, another Stephen King adaptation. Other projects he’s written include the Swamp Thing series, The Nun, Annabelle Comes Homes, Annabelle: Creation, and Annabelle.

Things are finally coming together on Salem’s Lot as they’re assembling their production team.

The Ronin can confirm that cinematographer Michael Burgess will reunite with director Gary Dauberman, after previously working with him on Annabelle Comes Home. Burgess has worked on other horror films such as The Nun, The Conjuring 2, The Curse of La Llorona, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, and James Wan’s upcoming horror pic Malignant.

We’re still waiting on official news concerning casting for Salem’s Lot.

James Wan is currently shooting Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in Watford, England with Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, and Patrick Wilson reprising their roles.

His next pic Malignant will hit theaters and HBO Max on September 10.

Madison is paralyzed by shocking visions of grisly murders, and her torment worsens as she discovers that these waking dreams are in fact terrifying realities.

Posted on in Film News, News

‘Renfield’: Nicholas Hoult To Lead Universal Monster Horror-Comedy From ‘Tomorrow War’ Director Chris McKay

Universal Pictures is trying to develop a bunch of various films within the Universal Monsters branding and an upcoming project is one focused on Dracula’s familiar Renfield. The project was developed from a story idea by Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead, Invincible) and has a script from Rick & Morty writer Ryan Ridley.

It was originally going to be directed by Dexter Fletcher (Eddie The Eagle, Rocketman) but has since been replaced with Chris McKay (The Lego Batman Movie, The Tomorrow War).

McKay compared the film to Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead 2 when speaking with The Hollywood Reporter giving us an idea of what to expect from the horror pic’s tone.

“Renfield is a story about Dracula’s assistant set in modern times, and it’s kind of a codependency success story. And it’s a comedy. It’s a horror movie. It’s an action movie. It’s about bad bosses. It’s written by Ryan Ridley, who worked on Rick and Morty, and it’s a really funny and emotional. It’s gonna be like a hard-R action movie, crazy-violent in an Evil Dead 2 kind of way. That’s gonna be fun,” the filmmaker revealed about his upcoming Renfield project at Universal Pictures. 

Deadline has now revealed that British actor Nicholas Hoult (X-Men: First Class, Mad Max: Fury Road, Those Who Wish Me Dead) has been tapped to star just a week after landing the Searchlight thriller The Menu co-starring with Anya Taylor-Joy and Ralph Fiennes.

The film is said to be set during present day.

Universal is also developing a new Wolf Man film starring Ryan Gosling and a Dracula hybrid genre film from Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao (Nomadland, Eternals), the latter might already have quietly started shooting.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in News, Television News

EXCLUSIVE: ‘The Empty Man’ Director David Prior Joins Guillermo del Toro’s Horror Anthology Series ’12 After Midnight’

Netflix and Guillermo del Toro are working together on a bunch of live-action and animation projects including a darker version of Pinocchio that he is co-directing with Mark Gustafson (Fantastic Mr. Fox) that will be using stop-motion animation. They’re also partnering on a new horror anthology series 12 After Midnight (formerly 10 After Midnight) that will see a group of hand-selected directors will be working on including Guillermo del Toro and Australian director Jennifer Kent (The Babadook, The Nightingale)

The Ronin can exclusively reveal that American director David Prior has joined the horror anthology project and is now part of the 12 After Midnight directing team.

Prior previously wrote and helmed the 20th Century Studios horror film The Empty Man, that starred James Dale Badge (Iron Man 3, The Pacific, The Departed), Marin Ireland (Hell or High Water), Stephen Root (Barry, Perry Mason), Ron Canada (The Strain, House of Cards, The West Wing), Robert Aramayo (Amazon’s Lord of The Rings, Game of Thrones), Joel Courtney (Super 8), and Sasha Frolova (Little Women, Red Sparrow, Mare of Easttown).

Guillermo del Toro has wrapped on his Nightmare Alley remake for Searchlight Pictures and is co-writing a sequel to Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark.

We’ll be excited to see what other horror directors that Guillermo will pick to direct the rest of the episodes.

THE EMPTY MAN – This supernatural horror film, drawn from the Boom! Studios graphic novel, centers on shocking events originating in a small Midwestern town. After the mysterious disappearance of a group of teenagers, James Lasombra (James Badge Dale), a troubled retired cop, is thrust into action to investigate. Following leads that may tie a secretive occult-minded group to a terrifying local legend, he soon realizes that his life — and the lives of those close to him — are in terrible danger.

Posted on in Film News, Trailers

TRAILER: James Wan’s Visually Stunning Horror Flick ‘Malignant’ Releases In Theaters & HBO Max On September 10

Director James Wan is currently shooting his Aquaman sequel, Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom, in Watford, England and we finally have a brand new trailer for his upcoming horror film Malignant at New Line Cinema. The film is an original concept and is said to homage the Italian horror sub-genre Giallo, most nobly created by Italian filmmakers Mario Brava and Dario Agento.

Madison is paralyzed by shocking visions of grisly murders, and her torment worsens as she discovers that these waking dreams are in fact terrifying realities.

The horror film’s cast consists of Jacqueline McKenzie, Maddie Hasson, Jake Abel, Michole Briana White, Annabelle Wallis, Ingrid Bisu, and Mckenna Grace.

Malignant will hit theaters and HBO Max on September 10.

“Malignant” is the latest creation from “Conjuring” universe architect James Wan (“Aquaman,” “Furious 7”). The film marks director Wan’s return to his roots with this new original horror thriller. In the film, Madison is paralyzed by shocking visions of grisly murders, and her torment worsens as she discovers that these waking dreams are in fact terrifying realities. “Malignant” stars Annabelle Wallis (“Annabelle,” “The Mummy”), Maddie Hasson (YouTube’s “Impulse,” TV’s “Mr. Mercedes”), George Young (TV’s “Containment”), Michole Briana White (TV’s “Black Mafia Family,” “Dead to Me”), Jacqueline McKenzie (“Palm Beach,” TV’s “Reckoning”), Jake Abel (TV’s “Supernatural,” the “Percy Jackson” films) and Ingrid Bisu (“The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It,” “The Nun”). Wan (“Aquaman,” “Furious 7”) directed from a screenplay by Akela Cooper (“M3GAN,” upcoming “The Nun 2”), story by Wan & Ingrid Bisu and Cooper. The film was produced by Wan and Michael Clear, with Eric McLeod, Judson Scott, Bisu, Peter Luo, Cheng Yang, Mandy Yu and Lei Han serving as executive producers. Behind the scenes, Wan was joined by his frequent collaborators, director of photography Don Burgess and editor Kirk Morri (“Aquaman,” “The Conjuring 2”), production designer Desma Murphy (art director, “Aquaman,” “Furious 7”), as well as costume designer Lisa Norcia (“Insidious: The Last Key”). The music is by Joseph Bishara, who has composed the score for all seven films in “The Conjuring” Universe, among many others. New Line Cinema Presents, In Association With Starlight Media Inc. and My Entertainment Inc., An Atomic Monster Production, a James Wan Film, “Malignant,” will be released by Warner Bros. Pictures on September 10, 2021 in theaters nationwide and on HBO Max via their Ad-Free plan in 4K UHD, HDR10, and Dolby Vision on supported devices; it will be available on HBO Max for 31 days from theatrical release.

SOURCE: WARNERMEDIA

Posted on in Television News

Guillermo del Toro’s Horror Anthology Series ’12 After Midnight’ Enlists ‘Nightmare Alley’ & ‘The Strain’ Production Designer; Jennifer Kent Also Directing

A new horror anthology from writer/producer Guillermo del Toro is coming to Netflix with the show titled Guillermo del Toro Presents 12 After Midnight (formerly 10 After Midnight), and it allows the filmmaker to honor the genre he loves. Guillermo del Toro is directing some episodes of the anthology alongside Australian director Jennifer Kent (The Nightingale, The Babadook). More directors will be announced later on. 

In this new genre-defining anthology series, acclaimed Academy Award-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro will present a collection of personally curated stories, that are both equally sophisticated and horrific. Creator and executive producer del Toro will bring his own visionary style as both a writer and director to certain episodes. In addition, he will handpick a team of the genre’s best writers and exciting new filmmakers to bring his selection of stories to life.

The Ronin can confirm that the horror series has added seasoned production designer Tamara Deverell (Star Trek: Discovery), who had recently worked with del Toro on his latest feature film Nightmare Alley and his vampire series The Strain. Deverell will work alongside art director Brandt Gordon (Nightmare Alley, Crimson Peak, Total Recall, Suicide Squad, Shazam!)

We’ve also learned that the production team will have visual effects supervisor Dennis Berardi, who has a fantastic body of work with projects such as Shazam!, Crimson Peak, Monster Hunter, Antlers, The Shape of Water, The Strain, Nightmare Alley, Vikings, and The Strain. 

Filming is already underway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and will wrap sometime in February. 

A longtime producing partner of del Toro, J. Miles Dale, is behind the series. His credits consist of Nightmare Alley, Antlers, Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, The Shape of Water, The Strain, Mama, Shadowhunters, The Thing (2011), and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. 

12 After Midnight will drop on Netflix sometime in 2022. 

Posted on in Film News

‘The Last Voyage Of The Demeter’ Begins Shooting In Germany; Amblin’s Dracula Movie Adds Liam Cunningham, David Dastmalchian, Aisling Franciosi & More

Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners have started filming their long-gestating horror film The Last Voyage of The Demeter, the project has been in the works for twenty years and is based on the brief excerpt from Bram Stoker’s original Dracula novel covering the iconic vampire’s bloody journey to London.

Zak Olkewicz (Bullet Train, Fear Street) has written the script, which is based on a single chapter, “The Captain’s Log,” from Bram Stoker’s classic 1897 novel Dracula, which tells the story of the Russian schooner, Demeter, which was charted to carry private cargo (twenty four unmarked wooden creates) from Carpathia to London. The film will detail the strange events that befell the doomed crew as they attempt to survive the ocean voyage, stalked each night by a terrifying presence onboard the ship. When it finally arrived near Whitby Harbour, it was a derelict. There was no trace of the crew.

Director Andre Ovredal (Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark) announced on Twitter that filming on the horror flick began shooting on June 26 at Babelsberg Studio just outside of Berlin, Germany. The studio is currently being used for John Wick: Chapter 4 alongside recently high-profile studio projects such as The Matrix 4 and Tom Holland’s Uncharted film.

The post also confirms our report that Ovredal would be reuniting with cinematographer Roman Osin (Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark).

https://twitter.com/Filmtroll/status/1408803186484428800

The film’s cast has grown with a wave of new additions mentioned by The Hollywood Reporter yesterday. Those new names joining Corey Hawkins (Straight Outta Compton, Kong: Skull Island, The Walking Dead) include Game of Thrones alums Liam Cunningham (Clash of The Titans, The Guard) as the Demeter’s captain and Aisling Franciosi (The Nightingale, Black Narcissus), David Dastmalchian (Ant-Man, The Suicide Squad, Blade Runner 2049), longtime creature actor Javier Botet (It, Game of Thrones, Slender Man, Alien: Covenant, Crimson Peak, The Conjuring 2) is set to play Dracula, Jon Jon Briones (Ratched), Stefan Kapicic (Deadpool, Deadpool 2), Nikolai Nikolaeff, Woody Norman, Martin Furulund and Chris Walley.

The Last Voyage of The Demeter has been around for ages with previous directors such as David Slade (Hard Candy, 30 Days of Night, Hannibal, American Gods, Black Mirror) and Neil Marshall (Game of Thrones, Westworld, Hellboy, Lost In Space) attaching themselves to only exit. Viggo Mortensen, Noomi Rapace, Jude Law, and Ben Kingsley were reportedly once involved at various stages.

It’s unknown when the film will debut as Amblin recently made a deal with Netflix to fund and distribute original films. There is a good shot that Demeter ends up landing at Netflix.

SOURCE: ANDRE OVREDAL & THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER