Move over Jason Voorhees. There’s a new monstrous, fully deranged mama’s boy in town, and he will make buyers think twice before purchasing a handful of “beef” jerky to snack on. Former professional bodybuilder and Incredible Hulk actor Lou Ferrigno is set to play the titular role of The Hermit. The film will mark Ferrigno’s first role playing any type of creature since his days as The Incredible Hulk on the CBS TV series of the same name.
Shooting for The Hermit is set to start in August in Syracuse, New York, and will be directed by Italian director Salvatore Sclafani and produced by New York and Los Angeles-based Gerry Pass via his Chrome Entertainment shingle in tandem with Scalfani’s First Child Prods. Pass is currently in Cannes meeting with prospective distributors.
Lou Ferrigno Turns on the Horror with a Little Quirkiness in New Film
Aside from Ferrigno, the main side characters are two 19-years-olds, Eric and Lisa, who are staying at a resort while on a fishing trip. One day the two venture off-trail and stumble across a farm where they see animal heads hanging from the wall, then in comes the Hermit, the giant who runs the place. The Hermit is a loner whose mother always protected him and kept him in the forest. He doesn’t speak well because they are kind of feral people.
Once, after being attacked, the Hermit kills his attacker. Since the family business is making jerky, the mother cooks the person into the jerky with the pigs. After the mother dies, trapping people, killing them, and making them into jerky becomes a way of life for the Hermit.
Ferrigno said in a statement to Variety:
“Most people are surprised that I’ve never really entered the horror space before now. When I was a kid, I was fascinated with the monsters of the time like Dracula and Frankenstein. So, I am really excited and honored to be working with such a great team on something that will for sure excite fans. The character I am playing is unique and will give an updated twist to those monsters I grew up with.”
Gerry Pass noted that due to Ferrigno’s hearing impairment, the actor knows exactly what it feels like to be treated differently by other people and understands the angst and the anger.
This will be the first English-language feature directed and produced by Palermo, Italy native Sclafani.