Sci-Fi Film and Television Developments

Hellraiser

9/21/10 – Blastr.com reported that Pinhead for the movie Hellraiser: Revelations has been filled by Stephan Smith Collins.  Written by FX specialist Gary J. Tunnicliffe, the story centers around Steve, played by Nick Eversham, and Nico, played by Jay Gillespie, who come across the infamous Hellraiser puzzle box while backpacking in Mexico.  Nico tries to get out of his predicament by switching himself with a family member, but things don't work out as planned, since the character is also referred as "Pseudo Pinhead." This Pseudo Pinhead will become a faithful servant of Pinhead, and he will closely mimic his appearance and revel in the pain that leads to his pleasure.  The movie will be directed by Victor Garcia and will also feature Peta Wilson.  Hellraiser: Revelations is scheduled for release on DTV in the U.S. next year.

3/20/09 - Director Pascal Laugier, who is attached to helm a "reboot" of Clive Barker's Hellraiser, told Sci-Fi Online that he wants to retain the "transgressive material" of the original.  "The idea behind Hellraiser is not to do a remake—it's to do what they call a reboot—that is to say, a new version," the director said. "So what I am proposing to Dimension, the studio behind Hellraiser, is some elements coming from the first film mixed with brand-new stuff."  Laugier added: "My main problem, honestly, with the Hellraiser reboot is that Hellraiser is very transgressive material. It deals with S&M and gay issues, and I really want to be faithful to the book and Clive Barker's world. I don't want to betray him. So if I have the feeling that I am being asked by Hollywood to soften the franchise, I will leave in a blink."

2/20/09 - The movie will get a reboot soon under French director Pascal Laugier, but Clive Barker won't be involved as a producer or otherwise. The remake hasn't been shot yet, and Laugier is still writing the script, which will have a very different look and feel for Pinhead.  When asked how he feels about the spate of upcoming bigger-budget, possibly CGI-augmented remakes of his work (Hellraiser, Candyman and Night Breed), Barker said, "I am a little bit of a schizophrenic about this, so forgive me if I sound like two different people on this. There's a part of me that feels that with the new technologies, the way that we had such a modest budget on my Hellraiser movie that if we can have five or six times that on the new Hellraiser remake, I think we'll get an awesome picture out of it."

10/29/08 - Director Pascal Laugier is in final negotiations to write and direct Dimension's re-imagining of Hellraiser, one of Clive Barker's best-known creations, according to The Hollywood Reporter.  Released in 1987, Hellraiser told the story of an unfaithful wife who attempts to assist her dead lover in his escape from hell. The movie introduced viewers to a race of demons called Cenobites, most notably one nicknamed Pinhead--one of the most enduring horror characters of the decade--who was summoned using an antique puzzle box.  Dimension has been hoping to relaunch the franchise for the past couple of years, first hiring Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo to write and direct a remake, then tapping Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton to write a new draft.

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