The much-discussed Hellraiser reimagining this week reportedly took a giant step forward–but questions still swirl around the reboot.
The Spyglass Media film–planned for an exclusive Hulu release–has cast Odessa A’Zion (Let’s Scare Julie) to play the lead role of Riley in the new Hellraiser, according to comicbook.com. No other roles have been confirmed at this time.
Part of the confusion stems from a report that said the filmmakers on the project were looking for a female lead to play “a gender-swapped Pinhead in a reinvention of the classic antagonist.”
That, of course, begs the question: How will that affect the iconic performance given by Doug Bradley in eight of the 10 Hellraiser films? Is he in or out? What sort of character will Pinhead be in the reboot?
In addition, will series creator Clive Barker have any say in this new film? Barker late last year won back the U.S. rights to his 1986 novella The Hellbound Heart and to the screenplay of the original 1987 movie.
But that decision won’t fully kick in until Dec. 19–meaning the reboot would have until then to hit Hulu before Barker could exercise any control over it. Deadlines, deadlines…
The reboot–from director David Bruckner (The Night House) and screenwriters Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski–will presumably draw from the original film, written and directed by Barker and produced by Christopher Figg.
That original dealt with a mystical puzzle box which summoned the Cenobites, sadomasochistic beings who don’t know the difference between pain and pleasure. The leader of those lovelies was, of course, Pinhead. That first film was met with mixed reviews, but it still pulled down $14.6 million on a $1-million budget, and birthed nine sequels.
In related news, HBO Max is planning a Hellraiser series of its own, with Barker on board as executive producer. David Gordon Green (of Halloween fame) will direct several episodes, with scripts being handled by Michael Dougherty (Trick ‘r Treat) and Mark Verheiden (Swamp Thing).
Keep reading Horror News Network for the latest on this reboot of Hellraiser on Hulu.
