Welcome to the “This Week in Horror,” a new feature where HitFix's resident horror buff (yours truly) rounds up some of the biggest genre news to hit over the last seven days.
In the debut edition? The remake of an '80s creature classic stalls out, a “Hobbit” dwarf goes dark for one of TV's gruesomest series, and a famed 66-year-old horror director prepares for pop-chart domination. Full roundup below.
1. Richard Armitage is playing a sadistic killer on “Hannibal”
The News: The English thesp best known for playing Thorin Oakenshield in Peter Jackson's bloated fantasy trilogy has signed on to play a serial killer known as the Tooth Fairy on NBC's uber-violent crime series. The character was previously portrayed by Tom Noonan (“Manhunter”) and Ralph Fiennes (“Red Dragon”) on the big screen.
How do we feel about this? If you're a fan of the critically-acclaimed/gruesomely over-the-top crime series (A human mural? Really, NBC?), no doubt you're into this.
[TVLine]
2. That “Gremlins” remake may not be happening after all
The News: Writer/producer Seth Grahame-Smith (“Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”) tells EW that his proposed remake of the '80s creature classic has “run out of steam” at Warner Bros. (“Everybody got busy doing other things,” he confessed).
How do we feel about this? I'm not 100% against the idea of remakes (this one was technically billed as a “reboot”), but is it a tragedy that we won't be getting a new “Gremlins” anytime soon? The original holds up just fine, thanks.
[Entertainment Weekly via Comicbook.com]
Want more? From the “Unfriended” trailer to Xena's “Salem” stint, catch up on all the latest horror news in the gallery below.