Thirteen years ago, Gore Verbinski tackled the inevitable Hollywood reboot of Japan’s hottest export at the time – The Ring. The original trilogy was a worldwide hit in spite of its cautionary narrative, which drove audiences away from plunging another videocassette into the VCR. Nevertheless, Verbinski’s 2002 outing spawned another sequel – The Ring 2 – and recently, word has landed about yet another Westernized remake.
The cunningly-titled Rings hit headlines briefly last month. In a move that no-one saw coming (because no-one really knew the film was in development), F. Javier Gutierrez (formerly attached to helm the new Crow reboot) came forward as the film’s director alongside leading lady Matilda Lutz. Apart from the matter of their involvement, little has been announced regarding the actual plot.
Until today that is, as Bloody Disgusting’s Brad Biska delivered a chunk of new information concerning the forthcoming movie. Namely, the fact that it’s not a sequel:
Our sources tell us that the new The Ring is actually a prequel, and takes place before the 2002 remake that starred Naomi Watts as a woman uncovering the mystery behind a haunted VHS tape. Rings will take place years before the creation of said tape and tell the origin of Samara’s reign of terror.
Based on Gutierrez’ Instagram account, Samara’s next big screen reign of terror may involve dolls and cemeteries – hooray! The helmer is currently undertaking a series of camera tests and location scouts for the movie and documenting the process online. It might be worth following him for the first chance to see Samara rise (again) from the gloomy depths of her water-logged grave.
Rings will hit theaters on November 13, 2015.
