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St. Vincent Directing ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’
After making her directorial debut on the anthology XX, penned by Roxanne Benjamin, experimental rock multi-instrumentalist Annie Clark (St. Vincent) is putting a female spin on The Picture of Dorian Gray for Lionsgate, reports Variety.
Based on Oscar Wilde’s 1890 novel, the studio is putting a twist on the classic Victorian age story of a hedonistic man whose self-portrait ages while he stays eternally young. As suggested, the title character will be a woman.
David Birke has been hired to write the script. Birke wrote Paul Verhoeven’s thriller Elle, starring Isabelle Huppert. He also co-wrote the upcoming Slender Man horror film from Screen Gems, and is currently adapting the crime thriller Alex from Pierre Lemaitre’s novel.
All of us here at Bloody Disgusting are deeply sad to learn that The Blob director Chuck Russell has passed away at 74 years old.
Russell’s career began with his directorial debut, 1987’s A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors.
The multihyphenate film director, screenwriter, and producer is best known for helming 1994 comedy The Mask starring Jim Carrey, Arnold Schwarzenegger actioner Eraser, and adventure spinoff The Scorpion King. The latter served as the first leading role for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
The filmmaker left an indelible mark on horror with his ANOES sequel, 1988’s The Blob, and 2000’s Bless the Child.
Russell’s final film credit is 2024’s Witchboard remake starring Madison Iseman (I Know What You Did Last Summer), Aaron Dominguez (Only Murders in the Building), and Jamie Campbell Bower (“Stranger Things”).
It marked Russell’s return to horror after a lengthy hiatus, and he shared sequel hopes to Bloody Disgusting in an interview ahead of the remake’s release: “I got to design the board with real mystical symbols and things that I know represent good and evil, and where that board takes us if the audiences respond to the film, and I hope they will; I know it’s out there for you guys, but the sequel is a world we’ll get to go a little further. That’s sure the intention.”
He also recently expressed interest in returning to the franchise that began his career.
TMZ notes that Russell passed away at his San Diego-area home.
We send our deepest condolences to Chuck Russell’s family, friends, and fans.
Director, Co-Writer & Producer Chuck Russell behind the scenes of the horror film, WITCHBOARD. Photo courtesy of The Avenue and Atlas Distribution
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