A Hellraiser remake is coming from Gary Barber's Spyglass Media Group, with The Dark Knight scribe David S. Goyer penning the script. Planned for worldwide theatrical distribution, the project will be completely funded and fast tracked by Spyglass, making it the first project for the company since its re-launch.
Chris Stone will be overseeing the project, with Keith Levine and David S. Goyer serving as producers. The news was officially confirmed on Monday by Barber, describing the movie revival as a "loyal, yet evolved reimagining" of the original movie.
"Clive (Barker) and I go back more than 30 years together. For generations, his brilliantly twisted and imaginative Hellraiser haunted the minds of moviegoers with its searing imagery of Pinhead. David is the perfect storyteller to continue Clive's vision for a new theatrical version of Hellraiser."
For his part, Goyer also spoke about his involvement in the project, eager to do the series justice. "I've been a fan of Clive's work since the original Books of Blood paperbacks and The Hellbound Heart novella," Goyer says. "Having the chance to reimagine Pinhead and the Cenobites for a new audience is a nightmare-come-true. Gary is a true fan as well and we're committed to making something dark and visceral."
Based on Clive Barker's novella The Telltale Heart, the original Hellraiser movie was first released in theaters in 1987. It focuses on the resurrection of a man named Frank Cotton (Sean Chapman) who was torn to pieces by demonic Cenobites after opening the door to another dimension with a mysterious puzzle box. Leading the cast of the classic horror movie are Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins, and Ashley Laurence as Cotton family relatives Larry, Julia, and Kirsty. Doug Bradley also starred as the Hell Priest, a.k.a. Pinhead, the leader of the Cenobites. The movie was a hit and spawned a long running franchise, forever making Pinhead a permanent part of horror culture.
Like many successful horror movies from the '80s, Hellraiser was given a plethora of sequels. To date, there have been ten Hellraiser movies to be made, with Doug Bradley reprising the role of Pinhead in every movie leading up to the ninth installment Hellraiser: Revelations. The role was recast once again for the 2018 direct to video sequel Hellraiser: Judgment, leaving many fans missing Bradley. At this time, it's not clear if Barber and Goyer's revival movie will be a fresh reboot with all new actors, or if it will serve as a modern sequel. If it's the latter, hopefully Bradley is up for taking on the role, as that would be the best possible choice for the fans.
Given the success of reviving other horror movie franchises like Halloween, it seemed that Pinhead's return to theaters was only a matter of time. Given the creative talent involved, hopefully the movie will be able to do the series proud. If we're lucky, they'll even get Doug Bradley back to star. This information comes to us from Variety.