The Strangers Remake in the Works as a Planned Trilogy with Madelaine Petsch Starring
Lionsgate has announced their plans for a remake of the hit 2008 film The Strangers. The film is planned as a trilogy with Renny Harlin directing and Riverdale‘s Madelaine Petsch starring. Petsch will star alongside Froy Gutierrez and Gabe Basso.
The film will focus on Petch’s character during a cross-country trip with her longtime boyfriend as they begin a new life in the Pacific Northwest. Car troubles lead them to Venus, Oregon where they stay for the night in a secluded Airbnb rental and find themselves terrorized by three masked strangers. The plan is to expand the story into a trilogy but whether this includes the survival of the two victims of the first films remains to be seen.
Harlin helms the film based on a script written by Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland with Lionsgate distributing the film. The film is produced by Courtney Solomon, Mark Canton, Christopher Milburn, Gary Raskin, Charlie Dombeck, and Alastair Birlingham.
Harlin shared a statement about the love of films that was instilled in him as a child by his mother, saying:
“My mother instilled the love of movies in me through the world of Hitchcock and other masters of suspense and horror. My breakthrough to Hollywood happened with the success of ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street 4.’ It is only fitting that I get to return to my favorite genre with the incredibly well written trilogy of ‘The Strangers.’ The characters and the storyline are all grounded in reality and offer me an endless tapestry of haunting visuals in bringing these movies alive.”
Solomon added:
“When setting out to remake The Strangers, we felt there was a bigger story to be told, which could be as powerful, chilling, and terrifying as the original and could really expand that world. Shooting this story as a trilogy allows us to create a hyperreal and terrifying character study. We’re fortunate to be joining forces with Madelaine Petsch, an amazing talent whose character is the driving force of this story.”
The original 2008 film is a long-standing classic in the psychological slasher horror genre and follows James and Kristen (Scott Speedman & Liv Tyler) as a young couple staying at a secluded vacation home who become victims to the masked killers. The film delved into the uneasiness and suspense of what lurks in the corner and was further fueled by the film being shot completely with handheld cameras. The plans for a trilogy are certainly intriguing as we wait and see how they plan to connect these films.
The Strangers remake does not currently have a release date but production on the film has already begun. Stay tuned as more information becomes available.
Source: Deadline