From one horror series to the next, Insidious actress Lin Shaye has signed on for The Grudge reboot over at Sony.
Variety has the scoop, revealing that the 74-year-old scream queen, who has dabbled in the Amityville and Nightmare on Elm Street franchises over the years, now joins a cast comprised of Andrea Riseborough, John Cho and Demian Bichir, who is perhaps best known for his recent turn in Ridley Scott’s prequel-sequel, Alien: Covenant.
Pitched as a “reimagining” of the cult horror classic, we understand Nicolas Pesce is directing from his own script. The Grudge is also bolstered by some serious film pedigree behind the scenes, given Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert have agreed to produce the movie on behalf of Ghost House. If that banner sounds familiar, it should; Ghost House last collaborated with Good Universe and Sony for Fede Alvarez’s spooky domestic thriller Don’t Breathe, so their involvement certainly bodes well here.
As for when The Grudge is expected to go before the cameras, Variety’s report indicates that a May start date is the current target, which tells us that Nicolas Pesce and Co. may be ready to summon their hellish apparition by the early stages of 2019. The only other horror/thriller movies of note that have slated for a similar corridor are Hellboy and M. Night Shyamalan’s Glass – so far, at least – so it’ll be interesting to see how this situation unfolds.
Besides, with Lin Shaye officially on board and a May start date in place, Sony’s reimaging of The Grudge is finally starting to coalesce, so don’t be too surprised if the studio adds another one or two big names before the cameras begin rolling on a film described as a “relentless supernatural thrill ride that explores the horrors of American suburbia.”
