Movies
Willem Dafoe Plays a Police Chief (Again) in ‘Odd Thomas’
I fell in love with horror author Dean Kootz back in ’93 when my school principal called me to the office and told me the “subject matter was too adult for me.” Everyone was big on Stephen King, I was all Kootnz.
I was such a huge fan that one of the biggest disappointments in my life was the 1998 feature film Phantoms, which castrated one of the most chilling stories I read in my young life. After numerous Hollywood dumpers, Kootnz swore off feature film adaptations, at least until the past few years.
Gearing up for production in New Mexico later this spring and summer is Odd Thomas, a new Kootnz adaptation this time by Stephen Sommers. The only thing “Odd” is the directing choice, considering Sommers is responsible for debacles such as Van Helsing and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Sure, I loved Deep Rising, but 12 years hasn’t given me much to look forward to…
Ranting aside, THR has some good news as they’re reporting Willem Dafoe (Antichrist) is in talks to join the cast of the supernatural thriller that centers on a short-order cook named Odd Thomas who can commune with the dead, a secret only his girlfriend (Addison Timlin) and the local police (Dafoe) chief know.
The young man can also spot malevolent forces called bodachs, who feed on pain and portent imminent death. When Odd sees them in spades surrounding a stranger, he finds himself in a race against time to avert a catastrophe.
The movie, with a budget in the $20 to $30 million range.
Willem Dafoe in an awesome scene from ‘Boondock Saints’
Maika Monroe (Longlegs) and director David Robert Mitchell are reuniting for It Follows sequel They Follow, and Deadline brings us the latest casting news this week.
Jackie Earle Haley (Little Children, A Nightmare on Elm Street), Justine Lupe (Succession), Anna Mirodin (Ivan), Jayne Taini (Unbelievable), Michael Gandolfini (Daredevil: Born Again), Tom Pecinka (Stereophonic), Melora Walters (Magnolia), Ben Krieger (Song Sung Blue), Natalie Shinnick (The Brutalist) and Jan Hoag (The Fabelmans) have joined the cast this week.
Naomi Ackie (Blink Twice) has also been confirmed to join They Follow.
Deadline notes in their report this afternoon, “Plot details for the long-anticipated sequel are under wraps, other than it taking place a decade after the events of the original film.”
They Follow is expected to enter production this Summer. Stay tuned for updates.
In the first movie, Maika Monroe’s Jay Height is a young woman followed by an unknown supernatural force after a sexual encounter. In the sequel, the threat is now EVERYWHERE.
“It’s very dark,” Monroe recently teased. “We’re pushing the boundaries on this one for sure.”
“It’s very different from the original,” Monroe told Discussing Film. “The original is a little more heightened and dramatic, and this is really quite grounded and follows the story of these two women that are mentally dealing with a lot. I thought it was really an interesting take on it.”
NEON and Good Fear Content are producing They Follow.
They Follow will feature a new score from Disasterpeace.
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