Has Vin Diesel ever done a historical fantasy before? I don’t know: I just cannot think of the guy as that kind of action hero. But the premise of The Last Witch Hunter is based in the idea that we can accept him as a man out of time. Diesel will be an immortal hunter of witches, tasked with stopping the covens of New York City from unleashing a deadly plague on humanity. He will be helped in his endeavors by a sexy witch (Rose Leslie), evoking the age-old question: who hunts the witch hunter? The release date that Lionsgate has given the film is October 23, 2015 – so the covens will come alive just in time for Halloween next year.
The Last Witch Hunter has undergone its share of difficulties, however. The death of Paul Walker delayed production on the film due to the delay of Fast & Furious 7 (and the undoubted toll Walker’s loss must have taken on Diesel himself). But now at least it appears to be gearing up, having started filming in June. With a release date now in place, we can look forward to seeing Vin Diesel in all his rather hairy glory.
I, for one, hope that The Last Witch Hunter is decent, if only because I enjoy seeing Diesel perform, even if it is in the guise of a talking tree in Guardians of the Galaxy or behind cool shades in the Riddick trilogy. While this one sounds a tad limited in scope, it has a good cast – including Michael Caine and Elijah Wood, by the way – and perhaps the potential to be a fun ride, if nothing more. I’m usually willing to give some space to movies that at least promise good action.
The Last Witch Hunter is currently in production, with the wide release scheduled for October 23, 2015. Let’s hope that they stick with that date.
Published: Oct 24, 2014 04:36 pm