Welcome, Atom Insider readers to Donato’s Dungeon! Isn’t chasing news headlines a grueling and exhausting task? Ever wonder where you can get all the week’s biggest headlines in one easy-to-find place? That’s why I’m here, armed with a chainsaw and machete to slice through the week’s onslaught of horror news to find the most notable happenings in our genre community. Let’s see what sights I have to show you…

1. ‘The New Mutants’ Will Undergo Reshoots Before Release

Josh Boone’s “X-men horror flick” The New Mutants was once rumored to have undergone reshoots since refuted, but now producer Simon Kinberg confirms Disney’s recent release date push to April 3rd, 2020 is because reshoots will now happen. Speaking to Digital Spy, Kinberg remarks:

What’s happening is we’re gonna do reshoots this year on that film and it has a new release date from Disney. That’s really it. Part of it was figuring out what the reshoots were gonna be, the pick-ups, and the other part of it was getting that cast back together.

Looks like reshoots weren’t a rumor after all, with Kinberg going on to say the challenge at hand is getting all the actors together once again. It’s been, what, over three years since Anya Taylor-Joy, Maisie Williams, and Charlie Heaton shot their initial scenes. Will time be kind to newly added scenes, still rumored to up the scare factor and add a completely new character?

Source: Digital Spy

2. Hulu Announces Horror Anthology Series ‘North American Lake Monsters’

Nathan Ballingrud’s short story collection North American Lake Monsters has been given a series order by streaming service Hulu. It’s said to align more with Into The Dark versus Castle Rock, meaning segments will drop in feature-length form every so often (Into The Dark is monthly). Mary Laws (Preacher) will serve as creator, writer and exec producer with notable horror director Babak Anvari (Under the Shadow) aboard as executive producer. As per THR:

The series will explore how encounters with vampires, fallen angels and other monsters force Louisiana natives to re-examine their broken lives in what is being described as a contemporary horror anthology.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

3. Ridley Scott Looking To Evolve His ‘Alien’ Franchise Under Disney

With Disney’s acquisition of Fox, many feared for the state of current franchises such as Alien under the House of Mouse (among other monopolistic horrors). Ridley Scott doesn’t seem too bothered by the scenario, as he’s reporting discussions over future installments are already underway. Quell those fears. Scott provides a longer quote to THR you can read at the source link, but choice snippets include:

You get to the point when you say, ‘Okay, it’s dead in the water. I think Alien vs. Predator was a daft idea. And I’m not sure it did very well or not, I don’t know. But it somehow brought down the beast. And I said to them, ‘Listen, you can resurrect this, but we have to go back to scratch and go to a prequel, if you like.’

…

So here we are, 50 years later, God bless them, they’ve kept [Star Trek] alive and kept going through its evolution. But it’s harder to keep the beast going for that long. I think it’s just tough. The joke wears out. Once you’ve seen it twice, three times, it’s no longer frightening.

Go on, leave that behind, and see where it can evolve. So we’re looking where we’re going to evolve.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

4. ‘A Quiet Place 2’ Shifts Release Date

Good news, A Quiet Place fans! John Krasinski’s sequel moves up from May 15, 2020, to March 20, 2020, skipping ahead almost two months. Maybe for another SXSW premiere, if we’re lucky? Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, and Noah Jupe all return with newcomer Cillian Murphy aboard for more alien quietness.

Although, Krasinski doesn’t consider his follow-up a sequel:

Emily [Blunt] actually blew my mind by categorizing it the correct way after I pitched it to her. She said, ‘This isn’t a sequel at all — this is the second book in a series of books. It’s a widening of a world.’ And I thought that’s the best way to look at it. It doesn’t feel like a sequel — it’s a continuation of living in that world.

Source: Business Insider

5. Mike Mignola Denies ‘Hellboy’ Netflix Rumors

After the dismal failure of this year’s Hellboy reboot, rumors are already swirling around streaming service Netflix swooping in to atone for Big Red’s recent cinematic sins. Creator Mike Mignola has been quick to deny such talk, responding on Twitter with the following:

It’s far too soon for such talks to arise given how Hellboy 2019’s corpse is still fresh, so consider my belief in Mignola’s words unshaken.

In other Hellboy news, reboot star David Harbour recently blamed his film’s failure on audience superhero expectations set by Marvel’s stranglehold:

The problem that I have with comic book movies nowadays is that I think, and it’s a result of the power of Marvel stuff, it’s like chocolate, it’s a flavor. So everybody goes chocolate is delicious and these guys make the best chocolate. So as you judge the movies, it’s like, ‘Well it’s not as chocolatey as this, this does not taste like chocolate at all.’ And I sort of want a world where there’s more flavors than just comparisons to chocolate. So in that way when Hellboy is viewed on the chocolate spectrum, it does very poorly.

I get it. You pour your heart and soul into a character only to suffer day after day of production issues on set that equates to a Hellboy that, scene by scene, feels like two conflicting movies, jumping from the horror-first Baba Yaga brawl into another heavily green-screened sequence set to Mötley Crüe or Muse. Neil Marshall’s (at least, that’s what they’re still going with) Hellboy ain’t second-rate chocolate. It’s…well, whatever. Let’s not kick an underworld demigod while he’s down. Just…this Marvel comparison finger-pointing has to stop.

Source: Digital Spy

6. ‘Brightburn’ Almost Had A VERY DIfferent Ending

I’m not expecting everyone to have seen Brightburn as of yet, so I’m not going into any details here. What I will say is David Yarovesky dropped by Collider and scooped them on an interesting superhero origin alternate ending that almost went into production, but, alas, was not filmed. Personally, I would have loved to have seen what’s teased. SORRY FOR VAGUENESS BUT I’M TRYING TO BE NICE AND NON-SPOILERY.

Source: Collider

7. Tony Todd To Appear In New ‘Candyman’

Nia DaCosta‘s “spirited” Candyman sequel now has confirmation that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will not be replacing original Candyman Tony Todd. DaCosta herself told Collider:

I can’t say what’s happening in the film because we want it to be a surprise, but he’s not replacing Tony Todd. That’s been reported, and I was just like, “I don’t know what to say about this. This is not right.’

Now Todd has come forward to shed some light, telling Sofa King Cool:

Out of the blue I got a phone call from Jordan Peele. We’re still waiting for the contract, but the way he explained it to me was that it’s gonna be applause worthy moments. That’s his words. No matter what happens with that, it’s gonna just put renewed attention on the original.

As someone enamored with remake culture – the “why now” and “what’s the angle” questions – Candyman sounds like the respectful continuation of mythology every studio should approach. Why remake when you can take existing lore, build it out, and make it your own. Bring on DaCosta’s Candyman. Bless Jordan Peele and Monkeypaw.

Source: Collider, Sofa King Cool

8. Zack Snyder Enlists More Into His ‘Army Of The Dead’

Given how Dawn Of The Dead is Zack Snyder’s best movie to date (come at me), I’m beyond hyped for his big-budget zombie project Army Of The Dead (for Netflix). Dave Bautista has been selected to lead the film’s cast, and now we know who’ll be joining the Guardians Of The Galaxy star against undead hordes. Ella Purnell (Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children), Ana De La Reguera (Everything, Everything), Theo Rossi (Luke Cage) and Huma Qureshi (Kaala) have all been announced. Go get ’em!

Source: The Wrap

9. ‘Terrifier 2’ Sets Funding, Eyes Shoot Date

Terrifier writer/director Damien Leone confirmed via Facebook that Art The Clown would murder once again in Terrifier 2! Those who haven’t seen Terrifier and are into gruesome indie practical effects should seek out Dread Presents most talked-about release based on slasher influences alone. Leone promises his sequel will be “10x bigger” with an Indiegogo campaign on the way to secure even more funds, as he wants to do Art double justice this time around. Here’s hoping Terrifier 2 gets an upgrade in the storyboard department, being more than some highlight kills for death’s sake, which – admittedly – worked gangbusters for so many.

10. Universal Closes On Monster Script ‘Don’t Go In The Water’

It’s been reported that Universal paid “mid-to-high six figures” for Peter Gaffney’s spec script titled Don’t Go in the Water. No word on specifics besides the script is being described as a “suspenseful monster movie.” Presumably aquatic horror? Please be aquatic horror. PLEASE.

Source: Deadline

11. Jane Levy Not Thinking About An ‘Evil Dead’ Return Right Now

Since starring in Fede Alvarez’s Evil Dead remake, ultimately breaking out in a huge and deserved way, Jane Levy has been toying with projects that vary from Monster Trucks to I Don’t Want To Live In This World Anymore. As her choices take her farther from an Evil Dead return, it seems that’s (sadly) on purpose. At this point Levy has no Evil Dead updates for y’all, so stop asking:

I have heard many rumors through the years, whether it’s on the internet or through my agent, and I don’t have anything to tell you, although I’m tempted to make something up because that’s what everyone else does who’s involved with the franchise. They love to just rile up the fans every couple of months by saying some nonsense. But it’s incredible to be part of something with such a strong fan base, and I feel so lucky that I was embraced and not rejected by the Evil Dead fans, and I think Bruce Campbell is so cool.

And I do not have any immediate plans to be in the Evil Dead universe.

Source: Uproxx

12. Horror Western ‘The Pale Door’ Casts Lead

A quick bit of news for horror western fans out there! Aaron B. Koontz has cast Devin Druid in his new film The Pale Door. The 13 Reasons Why and Cam star joins Zachary Knighton, Melora Walters, Bill Sage, Pat Healy, Stan Shaw, Natasha Bassett, Noah Segan and Tina Parker in a film sold as “3:10 To Yuma meets The Descent, but doused, and then set on fire with psychological horror.” Keep your eyes peeled, genre cowboys.

13. ‘Hannibal’ Ain’t Dead Yet, According To Bryan Fuller

Fans of the frustratingly canceled Hannibal have long pestered Bryan Fuller for updates. Everyone wants Hannibal back – the cast, crew, fans, everyone – and that includes Mr. Fuller. Tweeting to a fan, he had this to say:

Take it as a vote of confidence that Hannibal may one day return. Also, to any streaming service listening, WHY HAVEN’T YOU PICKED UP HANNIBAL?

14. Shudder’s ‘Creepshow’ Bolsters Cast

Greg Nicotero’s Creepshow revival has announced some big-name talent for their upcoming episodic. David Arquette, Tricia Helfer, and Dana Gould will all appear in upcoming installments throughout the series. The trio joins previously signed Adrienne Barbeau, Giancarlo Esposito, and Tobin Bell. These episodes just get more and more interesting…

Source: Deadline

And Now…This Week’s Horror Trailers!

ANNABELLE COMES HOME

There’s a killer shot of who we can presume is a new Conjurverse staple, a “Ferryman” demon, but still no werewolf screen reveal despite a Lycan influence painted onto the last poster. Cowards.

SWAMP THING

Premiering on DC’s streaming service this weekend is the James Wan-produced Swamp Thing, which now has a horror-forward final trailer. Accelerants, marsh monsters, and a whole lot of vine-wrapped body creeps.

IN FABRIC

“A wonderfully weird movie about a killer dress.” If anyone can deliver such alluring madness, it’s writer/director Peter Strickland.

47 METERS DOWN: UNCAGED

So it’s The Descent, but with sharks? PRAISE BE THE AQUATIC HORROR GODS.

THEY’RE INSIDE

Dread Centrals distribution arm Dread brings us the first trailer for They’re Inside, which is being billed as “Funny Games meets The Strangers.” Look out for it July 16th on both Blu-ray and VOD.

A NIGHT OF HORROR: NIGHTMARE RADIO (NSFW)

The Onetti brothers curate a horror anthology of selected international shorts with some familiar genre imagery (oh, hello, floating red balloon). Oh, and if you’re at work right now or in public, NSFW warning.

COMA

Nikita Argunov‘s Coma looks like a perpetual Inception homage where characters are trapped in an odd world made up only of memories. Hence why submarines, the Golden Gate Bridge, and other landmarks can be found in the same room.

A HAUNTING AT SILVER FALLS: THE RETURN

“Look at me while I take everything from you!” Creepy ghost story stuff featuring what appears to be ghosts of patients. Pretty expected in terms of scare beats.

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