It's been a long time since filmmaker Eli Roth's last directorial effort, but the hiatus is officially over — and judging by the title alone, the results are bound to be explosive.
The Hollywood Reporter has the news out of Cannes that Roth's next slated to direct "The Green Inferno," a horror thriller about... well, we don't know, actually. The story is being kept a secret for now, but Roth's certainly enthusiastic about his top-secret plans.
"I've had an amazing few years producing, writing and acting, and am very excited to get back in the director's chair. I've been working on this idea for several years, and was inspired by filming in [Chile] and cannot wait to get back," he said in a statement, referring to his recent experience shooting the movie "Aftershock" in South America.
Visit THR for more on "Green Inferno," and keep reading for the rest of this week's Horror Bites.
Real-Life West Memphis Three Murder Case Readies for Cameras
Colin Firth and Reese Witherspoon will be appearing in the upcoming "Devil's Knot," which was recently given the green light while making the rounds at Cannes. This is the project centering on the tragic tale of the recently freed West Memphis Three and is based on a best-selling novel by investigative journalist Mara Leveritt about the grisly murder of three 8-year-old boys. The case saw three local teens locked up, accused of slaying the children in a gruesome satanic ritual. After an 18-year prison sentence, the boys were proven innocent and released. This is one of two films about the emotional and controversial case. The film will start shooting next month in Georgia.
Elijah Wood is a 'Maniac' in Early Film Teaser
Dread Central shared an early teaser trailer for the remake of the 1980 slasher favorite "Maniac," directed by William Lustig. Elijah Wood takes over the lunatic serial killer role that Joe Spinell first made famous. French horror director Alexandre Aja ("Piranha 3-D") is producing the tale about the obsessive, antisocial murderer who works at an antique mannequin shop. (We really wish those existed!) After meeting a young woman, our killer's instinct to stalk and slay becomes overwhelming. The trailer is unfinished, but it looks like an interesting take on the gritty original. Does Wood look believable as a butchering fiend so far?
'The Possession' Trailer Terrifies
Remember that movie being dubbed "The Dibbuk Box?" It's now being called "The Possession," and it actually looks terrifying. Lionsgate's film about a family that find themselves in possession of a haunted box and their daughter who becomes obsessed with it — and later disturbingly possessed — will be in theaters on August 31. Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Kyra Sedgwick, Madison Davenport, and Natasha Calis star. Give it a watch and let us know if you agree that this may be the possessed girl tale to trump them all.
Long-Gestating 'Suspiria' Remake Starts Casting
We've been hearing about it for ages — and frankly, some of us hoped it would never happen — but David Gordon Green's adaptation of Dario Argento's Italian horror opus "Suspiria" has finally started casting. We know that Isabelle Fuhrman of "Orphan" and "The Hunger Games" fame will star as the movie's lead ballerina Suzy Bannion. She attends a famous dance school and discovers it's a front for something far more sinister. We were hoping for "The House of the Devil's" Jocelin Donahue, and we're not sure that casting a teen actor thrills us, but Fuhrman's "Orphan" role was enjoyable and proved she was able to tackle dark subject matter. A more exciting addition to the cast is "The Piano Teacher's" Isabelle Huppert who will most likely play a witch, which should be some amazing stuff to watch unfold on screen. Janet McTeer ("The Woman in Black"), Michael Nyqvist ("The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"), and Antje Traue ("Man of Steel") join them. "Suspiria" goes before the cameras in September.
'Carrie' Remake Invites More Victims to the Prom
The upcoming remake of "Carrie" is moving along nicely. Variety shared that "Chronicle" star Alex Russell and off-Broadway actor Ansel Elgort are negotiating roles in the film that already stars "Dark Shadow's" Chloe Moretz (Carrie) Julianne Moore (Carrie's nutty, religious mom), and Gabriella Wilde (Carrie's classmate). "Boys Don't Cry" director Kimberly Peirce directs the film about an awkward teen that gets picked on at school, but eventually uses her creepy telekinetic powers to attack back at the prom. Is there anyone you were hoping to see getting cast in the horror adaptation?
Rob Zombie Reveals Truth about Rumored Projects
Everyone's focused on Rob Zombie's upcoming "Lords of Salem," but website Screen Crush wanted to find out more about the director-musician's already announced, but nowhere to be found, projects he was previously attached to: "Werewolf Women of the S.S." and "Tyrannosaurus Rex." The filmmaker filled in the blanks, sharing some interesting truths: "Neither of those are film projects I'm working on. 'Werewolf Women of the SS' was just what it was; it was a fake trailer for a Quentin Tarantino movie. That's all it was ever supposed to be; it was never going to be a full movie. 'Tyrannosaurus Rex' is a script that I wrote, that I have, but it's not planned anytime soon. We finished 'Lords of Salem', and I'll be doing music for the next year and a half; within that year and a half maybe we'll do 'Tyrannosaurus Rex,' maybe not. I don't know what the next movie is — we'll figure that out." There you have it kids. Don't believe everything you read. (Except here, of course!)
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