Colin Firth is joining Reese Witherspoon in Atom Egoyan's drama based on the real-life case of the West Memphis Three, "Devil's Knot."
Deadline has the news, and reports that the story centers on Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, Jr. who were convicted of the murder of three 8-year-old boys. The case was sensationalized with reports of devil worship and ritualized sacrifice, despite lack of physical evidence. Witherspoon will play a mother of one of the murdered boys, while Firth will take on the role of the heroic investigator who helped the Memphis Three when no one else would, uncovering important evidence for their defense.
Peter Jackson talks West Memphis Three doc!
While truth is usually scarier than fiction, we have some frightening fictional features in this week's Horror Bites that should please. Hit the jump for more of this week's news.
Cubicles Are Terrifying and "Not Safe for Work"
"Wolfman" director Joe Johnston will be heading up the horror realm once more with a thriller set … in an office building. The "Captain America" filmmaker is taking on "Not Safe for Work" — about a young paralegal that becomes trapped in her office, desperately trying to evade a killer who has set out to destroy company files for a rival corporation. Writers Simon Boyes ("Broken") and Adam Mason ("Pig") lend a hand, which means this one might be more brutal than we are expecting.
From Exorcisms to Werewolves for "The Devil Inside" Team
"The Devil Inside" director William Brent Bell has a werewolf film heading our way soon. The project details have been tightly under wraps, but Screen Daily found out that the film now being called "Wer." All we know is that the movie will use a found footage element and that Bell has co-written the script with "Devil Inside" collaborator Matthew Peterman. Things start rolling for the cameras in Romania this April. Are you ready to see more from this team?
Paranormal Thrills in "Red Lights" Trailer
Last week we showed you the Spanish language trailer for Rodrigo Cortes' "Red Lights," but this week there's an English version. The "Buried" director sets Sigourney Weaver, Robert De Niro, and Cillian Murphy in a psychological thriller involving a psychic and a dark mystery. Now that some of you can actually understand what the heck is being said, do Weaver and Murphy make good paranormal fraud investigators?
Killer Grizzly Bears Battle the "Red Machine"
Bloodthirsty grizzly bears in Alaska? Count us in! "Carriers" actress Piper Perabo just signed onto David Hackl's "Red Machine." The "Saw V" director leads the story about two couples who soak in the great outdoors on a camping expedition to the Last Frontier, but encounter a bear out for blood. Perabo plays a deaf photographer, while the already announced Thomas Jane ("The Mist") is an Iraq War veteran. James Marsden and Billy Bob Thornton also star.
"Intruders" Gets a Disfigured Poster
We saw the theatrical one sheet for Clive Owen's supernatural home invasion nightmare, "Intruders." We like the actor better with his eyes and mouth, but we suppose it's ok to sacrifice them in the name of horror. "28 Weeks Later" director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo tells the tale about two children who are haunted by a strange, faceless entity (Hollow Face) that wants to take possession of them. Are we the only ones who hope to see Owen beating the hell out of a ghost?
Uncool Vampire Comedy Coming Soon
Jemaine Clement of Flight of the Conchords fame will possibly team up with Academy Award nominated director Taika Waititi ("Two Cars, One Night") — who is also directing an American version of "The Inbetweeners" for MTV — for a vampire comedy six years in the making. Waititi joked to The Playlist that " … It’s taken so long that vampires are now very uncool." So far we don't know much, but the director is hopeful to finally get the project off the ground. Stay tuned for more details, this one should be fun.
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Tags Colin Firth, Devil's Knot, intruders, Jemaine Clement, Joe Johnston, Not Safe for Work, Red Lights, Red Machine, reese witherspoon, Wer
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Reese Witherspoon, Colin Firth Tie West Memphis Three Into A 'Devil's Knot'