Credit: Scream
Two Veterans Have Been Confirmed As The Lead
Blumhouse is continuing forward with Five Nights at Freddy’s, and the upcoming horror feature has officially found its two leads. According to Deadline, Matthew Lillard and Josh Hutcherson are confirmed for the film. However, their exact roles in the feature remain unknown. Though on IMDB, Lillard and Hutcherson are listed as William Afton and Mike Schmidt. When it comes to the video games, these characters don’t particularly exist. The video game featured an unknown protagonist dealing with murderous animatronics once the pizza place closed down at night.
Matthew Lillard is no stranger to horror as the veteran became a big name due to his role as Stuart in the original Scream film. Of course, fans know that Stu and Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) were revealed as the men behind the Ghostface mask. The psychotic villains were eventually put down by the resilient Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell). Rumor has it Lillard is still stuck under that television alive and well. Since Scream, Lillard has diversified his portfolio, though he would pop up in horror movies here and there.
Hutcherson’s is mainly known for his role as Peter in The Hunger Games. He’s mainly been in family-friendly features the likes Zathura, Journey at the Center of the Earth, and Firehouse Dog. The Hunger Games alumni do have an uncredited appearance in 2017’s Tragedy Girls. Hutcherson and Lillard are veterans, so their names instantly add credibility to Five Nights at Freddy’s. They’ll be able to add some needed depth to their characters due to their performance.
Credit: The Hunger Games
It’s Been A Long Road For Five Nights At Freddy’s
Five Nights at Freddy’s has been in developmental hell ever since it was first announced by Warner Brothers Studios in 2015. Originally, Gil Kenan (Poltergeist, Monster House) was named to direct the video game adaptation. Unfortunately, it ended up being shelved a short time later. Jason Blum would pick up the movie several years later. It was then announced that Emma Tammi (The Wind, Fair Chase) would step into the director’s chair for the upcoming horror film. In addition, Jim Henson’s Creature Shop would handle the monstrous animatronics. The Blumhouse producer also confirmed that production is slated for New Orleans in February 2023. This comes after the previous director, Chris Columbus (Home Alone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets), stepped down due to frustrations with the script.
Credit: Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted
Skepticism Over Another Video Game Adaptation
Creator Scott Cawthon reportedly turned down ten scripts, stating that “Either the right movie gets made or no movie gets made.” Given that the project is moving forward, then the right story came into Cawthon’s hands. Five Nights at Freddy’s is unfortunately late to the party when it comes to killer animatronic monsters. That doesn’t mean it can’t turn out to be a classic horror film. The premise of the video games was simple but great; however, they never relied on nuanced storytelling like Silent Hill or Resident Evil.
The movie adaptations for both video games have been lackluster, so there’s always going to be that air of skepticism on whether a Five Nights at Freddy’s movie can be good. Nevertheless, Blumhouse productions tend to have a good track record when it comes to their horror films. The most notable are Halloween (2018), Get Out, The Black Phone, Paranormal Activity, Creep, and Happy Death Day. Sure, the studio has some high-profile stinkers (I’m looking at you, Truth or Dare and Fantasy Island), but they tend to put out good films more often than not. There’s no set release date for Five Nights at Freddy’s. Once that news has come to light, then we’ll let you know.
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