Movies
‘Hatchet’ Camerman Gets Directing Opportunity on ‘Hatchet 3’
BJ McDonnell, who as cameraman helped make Hatchet and Hatchet II two of the most effective slasher films of recent years, will make his directorial debut on Hatchet 3.
The long-awaited announcement was made today by franchise creator Adam Green. Green, who wrote and directed the first two films in the series, and whom will work closely with McDonnell on all aspects of the production.
Hatchet 3 will continue where the story left off in Hatchet 2, as a young woman sought revenge on the malevolent monster that killed her family while they were fishing in Louisiana swamp country.
Hatchet 3 is a co-production of ArieScope Pictures and Dark Sky Films, a subsidiary of MPI Media Group.
The movie will continue the story of fearsome villain Victor Crowley, the iconic killer who first made his gruesome mark in 2007’s groundbreaking Hatchet. Green’s Hatchet II made headlines as the first unrated independent horror film to be exhibited by a major chain (AMC Theatres) in more than 25 years when it opened last fall and went on to become a best selling DVD and On-Demand title. With cast and other production details to be announced shortly, Hatchet 3 will continue where Hatchet 2 left off, as a young woman sought revenge on the malevolent monster that killed her family while they were fishing in Louisiana swamp country.
Over the last decade, BJ McDonnell has been the camera operator on major Hollywood blockbusters and independent productions, including Battle Los Angeles, Rob Zombie’s Halloween, MacGruber, Spiral, TV’s “Heroes” The Darkest Hour, Director William Friedkins Killer Joe and he is currently in Pittsburgh shooting One Shot starring Tom Cruise.
McDonnell said, “I’ve been with the ‘Hatchet’ team from the very beginning and am honored and thrilled that Adam has handed me the reins on this third movie. I grew up watching horror films and like Adam Green, I’m a true genre fan at heart. I have been waiting for an opportunity like this to step up and make my directorial debut with something I love and know inside and out. Working together with Adam, we plan to make a kick ass movie!”
Adam Green said, “BJ was not only the camera operator on the first two ‘Hatchet’ movies. He was there alongside me creating every shot, working closely with me to craft each scene, moment, outrageous kill, and performance. He is absolutely beloved by the entire ‘Hatchet’ family and his experience on everything from huge studio films to smaller independent productions will ensure that he will do the franchise proud.”
In addition to the Hatchet films, ArieScope’s other productions include Frozen, Spiral and Grace. MPI/Dark Sky Films has produced and distributed such popular genre titles as The House of the Devil, Stake Land and The Innkeepers and the upcoming Frankenstein’s Army.
After pulling in $28 million at the worldwide box office this month, director (and star) Dev Patel’s critically acclaimed action-thriller Monkey Man is now available to watch at home.
You can rent Monkey Man for $19.99 or digitally purchase the film for $24.99!
Monkey Man is currently 88% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with Bloody Disgusting’s head critic Meagan Navarro awarding the film 4.5/5 stars in her review out of SXSW back in March.
Meagan raves, “While the violence onscreen is palpable and painful, it’s not just the exquisite fight choreography and thrilling action set pieces that set Monkey Man apart but also its political consciousness, unique narrative structure, and myth-making scale.”
“While Monkey Man pays tribute to all of the action genre’s greats, from the Indonesian action classics to Korean revenge cinema and even a John Wick joke or two, Dev Patel’s cultural spin and unique narrative structure leave behind all influences in the dust for new terrain,” Meagan’s review continues.
She adds, “Monkey Man presents Dev Patel as a new action hero, a tenacious underdog with a penetrating stare who bites, bludgeons, and stabs his way through bodies to gloriously bloody excess. More excitingly, the film introduces Patel as a strong visionary right out of the gate.”
Inspired by the legend of Hanuman, Monkey Man stars Patel as Kid, an anonymous young man who ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he is beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash. After years of suppressed rage, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city’s sinister elite. As his childhood trauma boils over, his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him.
Monkey Man is produced by Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions.
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