Southbound’s David Bruckner to Direct Hellraiser Reboot

Southbound’s David Bruckner to direct Hellraiser reboot

While many fans may be concerned over the decision to reboot Clive Barker’s legendary horror film Hellraiser, they should put some of those concerns aside as indie darling David Bruckner (The Ritual) has signed on to helm the new installment for Spyglass, according to Deadline.

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The franchise, which began in 1987 with the film based on Barker’s novella The Hellbound Heart, told the story of a man who opened a door to another dimension that resulted in his body being destroyed by Cenobites, creatures from Hell that grant sadomasochistic pleasures to those who call upon them with the use of a mysterious puzzle box. The Cenobites are led by Pinhead, the face of the franchise who would act as the main antagonist in all nine sequels.

The new reboot was originally set to be scripted and produced by David S. Goyer (Terminator: Dark Fate) but now the script is being penned by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski on a story treatment from Goyer, who is still attached to produce through his Phantom Four banner alongside Keith Levine.

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Bruckner broke out in 2007 with the well-received sci-fi horror The Signal, for which he was nominated for an Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award, and went on to contribute to the first installment of the anthology horror trilogy, V/H/S, and the acclaimed anthology TIFF hit Southbound and the Netflix supernatural thriller The Ritual. His next film, The Night House, premiered at Sundance in January to strong reviews from critics and is expected to debut later this year.

Spyglass will finance, develop, and fast track Hellraiser for worldwide theatrical distribution. Keith Levine will produce alongside Goyer via the Phantom Four banner. VP of development and production for Spyglass, Chris Stone, will oversee the project.