Smile 3 is officially moving forward at Paramount Pictures, but the terrifying horror franchise is getting a new creative team. David Bruckner, director of The Ritual, The Night House and the 2022 Hellraiser reboot, will direct the third instalment, with Channel Zero creator Nick Antosca writing the screenplay. Original filmmaker Parker Finn is stepping away from directing to concentrate on his upcoming Possession remake, although he will remain involved as a producer. Plot details, casting and a release date have yet to be announced.
Alfred Hitchcock's legendary horror film The Birds is being reimagined for television, with HBO developing a new limited series starring Succession actress Sarah Snook. Set in modern-day Alaska, the adaptation will follow a magistrate investigating a suspicious death as terrifying bird attacks begin sweeping through her isolated hometown. Written by Watchmen and The Leftovers producer Tom Spezialy, the series promises to combine a chilling murder mystery with the terrifying premise of Hitchcock's 1963 classic.
Bill Nighy has joined Ascension, the upcoming psychological horror series from Oscar-winning filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón. Inspired by Adam Nevill's terrifying novel Last Days, the Apple TV production stars Caitríona Balfe as a documentary filmmaker investigating a mysterious religious cult. Nighy will portray Zac, a fellow documentarian who draws her into the investigation. With the creative team behind Relic and Apartment 7A also involved, Ascension is shaping up to be an intriguing new supernatural thriller.
IT: Welcome to Derry Season 2 is preparing to take viewers deeper into Pennywise's terrifying past. Showrunner Brad Caleb Kane has revealed that the HBO horror series will move back to 1935, exploring the infamous Bradley Gang massacre during the Great Depression. Described as a bloody combination of classic gangster cinema and Stephen King's supernatural mythology, the new season promises a dramatically different atmosphere. With multiple scripts already completed and pre-production approaching, the next chapter of Derry's dark history is beginning to take shape.
Recluse, the unsettling new gothic horror film from Antlers and Servant writer Henry Chaisson, is heading to cinemas in 2027. Following screenings at Tribeca, Fantasia and FrightFest, independent distributor Vertical has acquired the film's North American rights. Starring Sasha Frolova and Xander Berkeley, the supernatural thriller follows a woman investigating mysterious audio recordings connected to her mother's disappearance, only to uncover terrifying secrets buried within her family's past.
