Movies
Hansel and Gretel Become ‘Witch Hunters’
I still don’t know how I feel about the new trend of taking a respectable story and throwing a horror element into it. While the original concept might have been appealing, it’s now becoming as bad as remakes and Asian horror craze as everyone is jumping on the bandwagon. Tonight it was revealed that the director of Dead Snow is taking on the tale of “Hansel and Gretel”, only in the film the duo become witch hunters. Don’t get too excited, at least until you see Dead Snow this summer from IFC (yuck).
How do you follow the wicked joy of zombie Nazis attacking medical students on a ski vacation?
Tommy Wirkola has an idea: Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters.
The Norwegian co-writer/director of the horror comedy “Dead Snow,” a Sundance midnight selection that IFC Films picked up for release in June, is putting together his next cockeyed picture. The ICM-repped Wirkola pitched Gary Sanchez Prods. on the idea of exploring how things played out for the poor siblings 15 years after that whole gingerbread house incident.
Simply put, they’re now specialized bounty hunters looking to put down the cackling black-hat set.
Sanchez honchos Adam McKay and Will Ferrell jumped at the idea of bringing a “Shaun of the Dead”/”Evil Dead 2” comedy action vibe to the proceedings.
“The idea is, they’ve grown up and they hunt witches,” McKay said. “It’s a hybrid sort of old-timey feeling, yet there’s pump-action shotguns. Modern technology but in an old style. We heard it and we were just like, ‘That’s a freakin’ franchise! You could make three of those!’ ”
Producer Kevin Messick, who brought the project to the company, will make the film his first produced feature as an official new member of the Sanchez crew.
“Kevin Messick knows how to put together movies as well as how to make them,” McKay said. “He’s one of the best producers I have ever worked with, and the fact that he only asked for $8,000 a year shows his commitment to filmmaking.”
McKay, Ferrell and Chris Henchy also will produce for Paramount.
Brand new shark attack horror movie The Devil’s Mouth debuts globally on Prime Video on July 29, and the streamer has released the brand new official poster this afternoon.
Kathryn Newton (Abigail, Lisa Frankenstein, Ready or Not 2), Lana Condor (Pretty Lethal), Nico Hiraga, Gavin Casalegno, Tommi Rose, and Tayme Thapthimthong star.
In the film, “Five friends set out on one last adventure along Thailand’s stunning coast, eager for a final thrill before life in the real world begins. They sign up for a guided swim through a remote cave system known as The Devil’s Mouth, a natural wonder that’s as breathtaking as it is unforgiving. Deep inside the labyrinth of narrow waterways, their journey takes a terrifying turn when they discover that a freak storm the week before flooded the caves with sea life.
“The creatures died in the fresh water, but something survived… and it’s hunting them now— fast, silent, and deadly. Every corridor they round is overflowing with anxiety, and every wrong turn becomes a deadly encounter. As panic spreads and their sense of direction slips away, the group begins to fracture.
“Trust erodes, fear takes over, and survival becomes a savage game. In the suffocating darkness, every choice could be their last as they learn that to make it out alive, sacrifices must be made.”
Jeff Wadlow (Truth or Dare, Imaginary) directs the shark attack movie from a script he revised from Aja Gabel (“Sunny”) and Myung Joh Wesner (“Star Wars: Skeleton Crew”).
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