HORROR HIT ‘WOLF CREEK' GETTING REBOOT IN WHICH AMERICAN TOURISTS ARE HUNTED IN THE OUTBACK; 2025 SHOOT PLANNED & JOHN JARRATT BACK AS KILLER MICK TAYLOR - TIFF MARKET

EXCLUSIVE: 20 years ago horror pic Wolf Creek proved an Australian box office breakout making $30M global off a $1M budget. A sequel followed in 2013 and for years there was talk of a third movie. The scent went cold but now the franchise is getting a reboot with Wolf Creek: Legacy.

Creator Greg Mclean is back to reignite the franchise as a producer while John Jarratt, who plays Outback serial-killer Mick Taylor, returns in the lead role. Resident Evil producer Jeremy Bolt is newly aboard, as is Sean Lahiff as director. Lahiff was editor on Wolf Creek 2 so knows his way around the franchise. Kristian Moliere (The Babadook) and Bianca Martino also produce.

This time around it's a family of American tourists who wander innocently into Taylor's hunting grounds. When the parents sacrifice themselves to save their children, the kids find themselves alone, lost and hunted in the vast Australian wilderness. Will this fresh prey – two wily, resourceful Zoomers – prove harder for the ageing predator to consume?

Jay Ryan (It Chapter Two) joins the cast, and the hunt is on for the movie's young cast, led by veteran Australian casting directors Angela and Louise Heesom (Wolf Creek). The plan is to shoot in Australia in Q1, 2025.

Cory Todd Hughes and Adrian Speckert serve as exec producers. London-based Architect is launching world sales on the project ahead of TIFF.itor.

Crew will include Make-Up Effects vet Larry Van Duynhoven (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga) and Visual Effects Supervisor Marty Pepper (Talk to Me).

Mclean said: "I've always believed in the power of fresh perspectives, and that's why I'm thrilled to introduce Sean Lahiff as the director of Wolf Creek Legacy. Sean isn't just stepping into this world; he's been a part of it for years. This new chapter in the Wolf Creek saga is something I'm incredibly excited about: it's a bold new story that honors the roots of the franchise while pushing it into new, uncharted territory."

Lahiff added: “I aim to deliver the horror and suspense that fans of the Wolf Creek franchise and wider genre theatre goers expect but to add a new depth to the story. We're exploring the psychological terror of being hunted, the fear and resilience of these young characters, and the nightmarish quality of the Outback itself. This is a story that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats, but it will also tap into something deeper – the primal fears that dark fairytales have always played on.”

Architect partner Calum Gray commented: "Wolf Creek transformed what horror meant to audiences – bringing them right up close to a world of all-too-real, genuinely possible terror. And it made a legend of Mick Taylor, one of the truly iconic, indelible horror antagonists. The original was a touchstone for us as genre fans: we can't wait to introduce a new generation to Mick and his charms!"

2024-08-30T14:29:05Z dg43tfdfdgfd