Movies

Russell Crowe In Talks For DiCaprio’s ‘Harker’

Published

12 years ago

February 10, 2012

Earlier in the week we reported on a project called Harker, a new vampire film to be directed by House of Wax, Orphan and Unknown director Jaume Collet-Serra.

At the time Warner Bros. was closing still closing the deal to acquire Harker, a spec script by Lee Shipman & Brian McGreevy for a re-imagining of “Bram Stoker’s Dracula”. It focuses on Jonathan Harker as the Scotland Yard detective who is tracking Dracula, and the script sets up the sleuth as a potential new franchise character. It looks like that deal has been made.

Harker will be produced by Appian Way partners Leonardo DiCaprio (who is not planning to act) and Jennifer Davisson Killoran, in a coproduction with Mad Hatter Entertainment. Now there are reports that Russell Crowe may be taking the title role.

Vulture reports that, “Our spies tell us that Warner Bros. is in talks with Russell Crowe about starring in Harker, a reimagining of Bram Stoker’s Dracula that’s being produced by Leonardo DiCaprio. It tells the vampire story from the point of view of Jonathan Harker, who — instead of his traditional role as a lawyer — is now a Scotland Yard detective investigating the Count’s string of grisly murders in England.”

It seems that the scuttling of Akira made room for the film in Serra’s schedule. And, interestingly, the Vulture article makes Akira seem like a project Warner Brothers may be revisiting sooner than we thought after putting the kibosh on it recently.

What do you think of Crowe potentially playing this role? I’m hoping for two things. One, that it’s not too stuffy. And Two, that it’s not some Sherlock Holmes (or Van Helsing) type of rejiggering.

Movies

‘The Strangers: Chapter 1’ Rated “R” for “Horror Violence” and “Language”

Published

11 mins ago

April 24, 2024

John Squires

We are now less than one month away from the release of Lionsgate’s The Strangers: Chapter 1, the first film in a brand new reboot trilogy from director Renny Harlin (A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Master, Deep Blue Sea). It’s coming to theaters May 17, 2024.

The Strangers: Chapter 1 has officially been rated “R” this week for…

“Horror violence, language and brief drug use.”

For the sake of comparison, Bryan Bertino’s original home invasion film was rated “R” for “violence/terror,” while Prey at Night was rated “R” for “horror violence and terror throughout.”

Madelaine Petsch (“Riverdale”), Froy Gutierrez (Hocus Pocus 2), Rachel Shenton (The Silent Child), Ema Horvath (“Rings of Power”) and Gabe Basso (Hillbilly Elegy) star.

Based on the original 2008 cult horror franchise, the project features Petsch, who drives cross-country with her longtime boyfriend (Gutierrez) to begin a new life in the Pacific Northwest. When their car breaks down in Venus, Oregon, they’re forced to spend the night in a secluded Airbnb, where they are terrorized from dusk till dawn by three masked strangers.

Here’s the full official synopsis: “After their car breaks down in an eerie small town, a young couple are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin. Panic ensues as they are terrorized by three masked strangers who strike with no mercy and seemingly no motive.”

Renny Harlin (Cliffhanger, Deep Blue Sea, Die Hard 2) is directing from a script by Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland (The Freak Brothers, Due Date). Lionsgate will distribute worldwide.

The Strangers began in 2008 with Bryan Bertino’s original home invasion horror movie, a terrifying film that introduced three masked killers who returned 10 years later with The Strangers: Prey at Night in 2018. The first film took place in a remote house in the woods while the sequel brought the murderous Man in the Mask, Dollface and Pinup Girl into a trailer park.