Happy Death Dayhelmer Christopher Landon has lined up his next project. Unfortunately, it won’t be a third entry in his sci-fi horror franchise, but it sounds rather interesting nonetheless. Described as anUntitled Body-Swap Thriller, the movie has lined up its main stars, with Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton set to topline the cast. While that sounds like it could be wacky, it also sounds like this won’t be skimping on the deranged horror elements either.
According to multiple reports, the untitled movie centers on a teenager, played byKathryn Newton, who winds up swapping bodies with a deranged serial killer, played by Vince Vaughn. After the incident takes place, Newton’s character comes to learn she only has 24 hours to undo it until the change becomes permanent. Blumhouse Productions, the studio behind theHappy Death Dayseries, as well as a number of low-budget horror hits, is behind the project. The screenplay was written by Christopher Landon alongside Michael Kennedy. Blumhouse head Jason Blum is set to produce.
Vince Vaughnis known best for his comedic exploits in movies such asWedding Crashers,SwingersandThe Break-Up, but he’s no stranger to serious roles either. In recent years, he’s starred in acclaimed movies such asBrawl in Cell Block 99andHacksaw Ridge, as well as this year’sFighting With My Family. He also has experience as an on-screen serial killer, having starred as Norman Bates in the remake ofPsycho. Kathryn Newton, meanwhile, has been on the rise in a big way. Not only did she break out in last year’s hit comedyBlockers, but she’s also starred on HBO’s acclaimedBig Little Lies. Some of her other credits includeThree Billboards Outside Ebbing, MissouriandSupernatural.
As forChristopher Landon, he’s written a host of horror movies in the past, such as several entries in theParanormal Activityfranchise, as well asDisturbiaandScouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, which he also directed. Landon’s career behind the camera was given a big boost withHappy Death Day, which wound up being a surprise hit. The movie grossed $125 million worldwide, working from a tiny $5 million budget. The sequel, Happy Death Day 2U, while well-received, only pulled in $64 million, working from a larger $9 million budget.
That by no means was a failure, but itdidn’t allow for Happy Death Day 3 to happen. Christopher Landon previously made that very clear, saying it would only get made if a streaming service like Netflix were to pony up the dough. So, Landon has moved on to something new and original. At present, it isn’t clear how soon production could take place, nor has Blumhouse set a release date for the untitled thriller just yet. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as further updates on the project are made available. This news was previously reported byVariety.
