Horror Legends – Hellraiser reboot in development hell!

Scified.com
News
Scified2015-11-10 13:25:23https://www.scified.com/sites_pics/1118833102781517.png
Scified
Written by Gavin8,427 Reads0 Comments2015-11-10 13:25:23

The Hellraiser franchise began in 1987 with the movie adaptation of Clive Barkers novella The Hellbound Heart. Written and directed by Barker and starring Andrew Robinson (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Clare Higgins (Doctor Who), Ashley Lawrence and Doug Bradley, Hellraiser became a cult classic among horror fans, spawning eight sequels. While most fans will debate upon which of these sequels are worth watching, almost all fans will agree that the fifth movie Hellraiser: Inferno and all subsequent sequels are best avoided, each baring very little relation to the original movie or earlier instalments.

The franchise has been further explored in two comic runs, one by Epic Comics (an imprint of Marvel Comics) and another by Boom Studios. In these comic books Pinhead, known by his title of the "Hell Priest" seeks to salvage his humanity, using Kirsty Cotton as an accomplice to destroy artifacts capable of opening a gateway to hell, in an effort to secure his escape from hell.

There have been many attempts to reboot the series, both by studio Dimension Films, whom own the movie production rights to the property, and by its creator Clive Barker. Dimension Films last attempt to reboot the franchise saw Terminator Genisys co-writer Patrick Lussier write a treatment, which was dropped in favor of the latest and arguably the worst sequel; Hellraiser: Revelations, the first in the franchise not to star Doug Bradley as the franchises antagonist Pinhead. Speaking recently on Adam Green and Joe Lynch’s The Movie Crypt podcast Lussier revealed that he was set to collaborate with frequent screen-writing partner Todd Farmer, and that his interpretation of Hellraiser was to feature Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles actor William Fitchner in the role of Frank Cotton...

“In the beginning [Frank] is going to get the box, and he’s in Shanghai. He gets caught and they [the captors] hold him down and they hammer these fucking nails into his head, but he gets free and kills everyone. But he does get the box which is being held by this guy who looks like he’s all bloated and has been ripped apart by the Cenobites. Frank steals the box and then… bad things happen.”

“The idea essentially was that we never see the story of Frank getting the box. So imagine if Frank is actually the darkest version of [“24’s”] Jack Bauer and [the] Nicolas Cage [character]from National Treasure. It would have been the evil National Treasure story.”

Lussier, whom was also attached to direct the reboot, went on to claim that the conclusion of the treatment would have seen Fitchners Frank Cotton become Pinhead. Fans of the franchise know however that Frank Cotton was a hedonistic pleasure seeker whom sought out the infamous puzzle box known as the Lemarchands box or the Lament Configuration, whereas Pinhead was originally a Captain in the British Army by the name of Elliot Spencer, whom after witnessing the horrors of the Battle of the Somme became disillusioned with mankind and lost his faith in god. Critics of Lussiers work on Terminator Genisys may see worrying parallels between this summers addition to the Terminator franchise and Lussiers treatment above.

In 2013, after the critical panning of Hellraiser: Revelations, Clive Barker announced that he was working on a “very loose” remake of the original movie, with Doug Bradley set to return as Pinhead. Yet other than news that a second draft of the script had been completed nothing new has been heard of since, suggesting the reboot has once again spiralled back down into development hell.

A reboot of the Hellraiser franchise with creator Clive Barker at a helm and Doug Bradley returning as chief antagonist, is a proposition we can get behind, especially if the reboot cast Ashley Lawrence as the franchises “femme fatale”, the evil stepmother Julia, which would contrast nicely against the actresses former portrayal as the franchises heroine Kirsty Cotton. Maybe Clive Barker could establish a “canonical” trilogy, exploring the secrets of Lemarchands box, the Cenobites, the Derelict (the haggard guardian of the box).

 

More Scified Dark News & Articles

0 Comments
Add A Comment
Sign In Required
Sign in using your Scified Account to access this feature!
Email
Password
Visitor Comments
Latest Images
All Fandoms
Sci-Fi Movies All Fandoms
Alien & Predator Alien & Predator Fandom
Godzilla & Kaiju Godzilla & Kaiju Fandom
Jurassic Park / World Jurassic Park Fandom
Marvel & DC Marvel & DC Fandom
Star Wars Star Wars Fandom
Latest Features
Alien: Romulus Spoilers Updated 2024-08-18 08:33:57
Alien: Romulus Movie Trailers Updated 2024-07-18 11:51:15
Get Tickets for Alien: Romulus! Updated 2024-07-11 12:11:21
Recently Active Forums
Godzilla Merchandise
Godzilla Merchandise Discuss Godzilla Toys & Literature
Jurassic World Rebirth
Jurassic World Rebirth Discuss the new Jurassic World film by Gareth Edwards!
Alien: Romulus
Alien: Romulus Discuss the new Fede Alvarez Alien movie here
Prometheus
Prometheus Everything About Prometheus
Hot Forum Topics
New Forum Topics
Highest Forum Ranks Unlocked
Chris
Chris » Atman
54% To Next Rank
Svanya
Svanya » 2K
87% To Next Rank
Dark Nebula
Dark Nebula » Respected
80% To Next Rank
The true shark boy
The true shark boy » Initiate
22% To Next Rank
NCC 1701
NCC 1701 » Noob
47% To Next Rank
Latest Activity
Scified Community Stats
Scified hosts a network of online communities containing 405,965 posts by 48,255 members (5 are online now). The Godzilla Merchandise Forum is the most recently active forum. The latest Forum topic added was: Godzilla Minus One SHMA Reissue vs. OG figure comparison
VIPWhat are VIP?AdminModeratorSpecial TitleMember

Scified is an entertainment website and media network offering scoops and reporting on the most popular, upcoming science fiction movies, games and television. All content is property of Scified.com unless otherwise stated. Images and titles of content we promote, discuss, review or report are property of their respective owners. Scified is independantly owned and operated by a team of dedicated sci-fi movie fans, who strive to provide the best information and community experience for other like-minded sci-fi movie enthusiasts.

© 2025 Scified.com
Sign in
Use your Scified Account to sign in


Log in to view your personalized notifications across Scified!

Transport To Communities
Alien Hosted Community
Cloverfield Hosted Community
Godzilla Hosted Community
Jurassic World Hosted Community
Predator Hosted Community
Aliens vs. Predator Hosted Community
Latest Activity
Forums
Search Scified
Trending Articles
Information Resources
Blogs & Editorials
Featured Forum Discussions
Forums & Community
Sci-Fi Movies
Help & Info