We love our bad guys. Freddy, Jason, Chucky are the evil bastards that we live to root for, even though we know they can’t win. But what if they can win, and they can be the heroes…not necessarily good guys, but the heroes of the film? That’s the pitch that writer Max Landis has tried to get off the ground for six years. During the latest episode of The Writers Panel on Nerdist (click here), writer and director Max Landis was asked if there was an IP that he would love to take on…of course there was.
“Yeah, the thing I’ve been pitching for six F*%king years!”.
The fun starts at the 50 minute mark, and he goes on for about ten minutes about this “dream” project.
The idea is that a troubled kid is adopted by the perfect family, but of course things go wrong and he’s switched to another foster family. The couple drug him, and he awakes to some very eerie music, with girls singing…”One, two, Freddy’s coming for you”.
That’s right kids, it’s a new take on Nightmare on Elm Street…only there’s more to it. The new project would see not only Freddy from Nightmare on Elm Street, but also Jason from Friday the 13th, and Chucky from Child’s Play. The trio would accompany the kid to hell, where they must battle Pinhead from the Hellraiser series. Sounds like a mess? Well, it actually makes sense.
“None of these characters want to be where they are. They’re (mostly) there by mistake.” Landis explains. “Fred Kruger was innocent and killed by the parents of Elm Street to summon the nightmare demon, Freddy Kruger.”
He goes on to explain that Jason would be this little kid who the counselors let drown while they were having sex and doing drugs, who Hulks out into the killer we know and love. Chucky would be trapped inside the Good Guy Doll, unaware of what was going on. The movie would be sympathetic to the bad guys, but they’d still be bad guys, especially Chucky who would serve as a Golem type character, who’s leading the others to where they want to go, all while trying to achieve what he ultimately wants. Of course, that’s killing everyone and getting a body back.
A movie that reveals the parents of Elm Street as the evil ones, actually sacrificing their children for riches and success? Sounds like an amazingly fresh new take on the old film franchises.
Max Landis is one of this generations biggest voices in movies, writing films like Victor Frankenstein, Chronicle and the upcoming Will Smith film, Light for Netflix. His father, John Landis is the mind behind several classics like Blues Brothers, Coming to America, and of course An American Werewolf in London, which Max is not only writing, but also directing a remake of.
The film likely will not happen, as it would need a huge budget and tons of rights issues resolved…but with films like Get Out, IT and Happy Death Day making huge dents at the box office, it could be the right time to try again.
After all, all the “Titans of Terror” came together at this year’s Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood!
Watch-Freddy, Jason, and Leatherface terrorize at HHN Hollywood!
If Freddy, Jason, Leatherface and Chucky can come together for one of the largest haunted attractions in the world, then maybe Hollywood studios can band together for an all out scare fest with all the Titans in one film.
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