Uwe Boll Directing “Unofficial” Sequel to ‘House of the Dead’ Hilariously Called ’23 Years Later’
German filmmaker Uwe Boll is widely regarded as one of the worst filmmakers of the modern era, though his self-aware humor and chaotic style have helped many of his films achieve “so-bad-it’s-good” cult status.
The film that made him a household name in horror was House of the Dead, an early video game adaptation eagerly anticipated by many fans. That was, uh, checks notes, nearly 23 years ago this coming October.
In true Uwe Boll fashion, he’s announced that his next film is 23 Years Later, an “unofficial” sequel to House of the Dead – a movie so critically panned it still holds a 3% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, and routinely appears on lists of the worst video game adaptations ever made.
The title is a clever riff on 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later, and 28 Years Later, while also calling back to Boll’s own zombie movie released 23 years earlier. There’s something wonderfully self-aware and weirdly universal about the whole thing.
Here are the details: The official title is 23 Years Later — The Castle of the Dead, and with Jonathan Cherry and Ona Grauer, the original stars of House of the Dead, returning for the new feature, reports THR.
The first House of the Dead film follows a group of students who book a boat trip to an island to attend a rave, only to discover the place is infested by zombies. The bulk of the action takes place in a derelict house where the survivors hold up to fight off the undead onslaught.
Boll is keeping the plot of the new film under wraps but said 23 Years Later will be based in a castle. “So in a way,” said producer Michael Roesch, “we’re upgrading from a house full of zombies to a castle full of zombies.”
Officially, the film has no connection to the Sega House of the Dead video game, as Boll does not have the adaptation rights.
The Hollywood Reporter notes that the new zombie movie comes amid news that Paul W.S. Anderson is working on an official House of the Dead reboot for Sega. Boll’s mockbuster move feels like a deliberate trolling of the Resident Evil director.
“When I heard that Paul Anderson is rebooting House of the Dead, I immediately knew that it will be a soulless CGI orgy”, said Boll in a statement. “And I want to do a completely different zombie movie: Bloody, gory and handmade.”
The cult B-movie director is set to begin principal photography of the film on September 5 in Germany.
Boll is directing 23 Years Later from a script co-written by Lutz Geiger, with long-term partner Michael Roesch producing. Boris Wolffgardt is a co-producer on the project.
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