The Vincent Price-starring 1968 classic Witchfinder General is next up on the remake chopping block, Deadline reports out of Cannes today, with John Hillcoat (The Road, Lawless) on board to direct and Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive, The Neon Demon) producing! Refn, as you may recall, has been attached to a remake of the film for a few years now.
“The filmmakers are out to cast with a start eyed later this year,” Deadline notes.
In the Michael Reeves-directed original:
A young soldier seeks to put an end to the evils caused by a vicious witch hunter.
“I am excited to work with fellow filmmaker Nic Refn, a maverick auteur and who, together with Rupert Preston, have been fully committed to independent cinema over the years. I’m drawn to the dynamic departures behind this remake,” says Hillcoat. “The idea of a world pushed to extremes where fear preys upon all, unleashing religious fanaticism, rival factions, tribalism, heretics, and witch hunts… feels strangely familiar in today’s world.”
Jon Croker (Woman In Black 2) wrote the script
Refn and Rupert Preston, through Bynwr.com and Sunrise Films, are producing with Hillcoat’s Blank Films.
