Here is Everything We Know So Far About ‘The Strangers’ Reboot Trilogy
Tyler Doupe'
|
The Strangers is one of my favorite horror films. It terrifies in all the right ways. The premise is far more grounded in reality than many of its contemporaries. And that makes it supremely chilling. I’m even a fan of the oft-maligned sequel The Strangers: Prey at Night. As such, I am cautiously optimistic about the recently-announced trifecta of remakes.
In anticipation of the forthcoming trilogy, we have gathered everything we know so far about the project(s). So, brace yourself for an information overload and feast your eyes on all the latest developments!
The upcoming trilogy is being labeled as a series of ‘remakes’
With that said, the films sound more akin to a trio of sequels or soft reboots, which is encouraging. The 2008 original is pitch-perfect and to simply recreate it would be a fool’s errand.
The first installment in the upcoming trilogy will follow a couple on a cross-country journey to the Pacific Northwest, where they have plans to start over and build a new life. A wrench is thrown into the works when they break down in Venus, Oregon, and decide to secure an Airbnb rental for the evening. As they settle into their temporary digs, the couple is terrorized by a trio of masked home invaders.
We have very little information on the two subsequent The Strangers sequels at this point, save for the fact that Collider recently reported that the new trilogy will be heavier on backstory than the original outing.
Renny Harlin has signed on to direct
Harlin has plenty of genre cred by way of standout efforts like A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master and Deep Blue Sea, so I am anxious to see what he has in store. We’ve seen conflicting reports regarding whether or not Harlin will helm all three installments. But according to Deadline, the Cliffhanger director has signed on for the entire trilogy.
The first installment in the forthcoming trilogy features an impressive young cast
Madelaine Petsch (Riverdale), Froy Gutierrez (Teen Wolf), and Oscar-winner Gabriel Basso (Super 8) are set to topline the project. Petsch and Gutierrez will play the couple making the cross-country trek. And THR reports that Basso will appear as a sister to Petsch’s character. At this juncture, it is unclear how Basso’s character will factor into the equation. She could be along as a third wheel, or perhaps she will come into play after the couple tangle with the masked strangers. Time will tell.
The script comes from a creative team primarily known for their comedic output
Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland penned the screenplay for the upcoming first installment in the trilogy. However, their prior efforts are largely in the comedic space. Their previous collaborations include multiple episodes of King of the Hill, an episode of The Nanny, and the Zach Galifianakis/Robert Downy Jr. film Due Date.
Though it seems like an unnatural progression to go from comedy to horror, Jordan Peele and Zach Cregger have given us cause to keep an open mind regarding comedians trying their luck in the horror space.
The trilogy has already secured global distribution
Lionsgate has announced plans to handle worldwide distribution for the three films.
Courtney Solomon, Gary Raskin, Christopher Milburn, Mark Canton, Charlie Dombeck, and Alastair Birlingham have all been tapped to produce. Additionally, Andrei Boncea, Roy Lee, and Dorothy Canton are on board to executive produce.
It’s worth mentioning that Lee was a producer on the 2008 original, in addition to several other genre projects.
The release date is TBD at this juncture
The film recently finished production in Slovakia. But we’ll have to wait a beat for a release date. My best guess would be that we’ll see the flick bow before audiences in early 2024. I would guess there’s a good chance we may see a trailer later this year, though. Fingers crossed for that.
Stay tuned to Dread Central in the coming months for more developments as we learn them.
Categorized:News
