Announced earlier this year was a reboot of the 1986 film Witchboard from director Chuck Russell, with Deadline confirming today that the project has added new cast members. Joining the project are Madison Iseman (Jumanji franchise), Aaron Dominguez (Only Murders in the Building), Antonia Desplat (Shantaram), and Charlie Tahan (Ozark). Previously announced as starring in the picture is Jamie Campbell Bower, who brought Vecna to life for Season 4 of Stranger Things. Russell previously found major success when he developed a reboot of The Blob in 1988. The new Witchboard is currently in production, though it does not yet have a release date.
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The new film explores a recovering drug addict Emily (Iseman), her fiancรฉ Christian (Dominguez), and a group of their friends opening an organic cafรฉ, refurbishing an old carriage house in New Orleans’ French Quarter. A darkness descends over Emily when she discovers an ancient pendulum board, once used to summon spirits, with Christian then seeking help for Emily from occult expert Alexander Babtiste. Babtiste, however, has secrets of his own, knowing the fateful bloodlines that binds them all to the Witchboard. A modern coven of White Witches, a masked ball at Babtiste’s mansion, and the legacy of Naga Soth, the Queen of Witches, are all then part of a dangerous game that puts Emily’s very soul at risk.
It has yet to be confirmed who Bower, Desplat, and Tahan will be playing in the reboot.
Russell previously shared his enthusiasm about Bower joining the project.
“There is a tradition in cinema ofย great English actors that have the charisma we associate with stardomย as well as the acting chops to truly be a chameleon, playing a variety of character types,” Russell shared in a statement. “Jamie Campbell Bower is that kind of actor and his time is now.”
The outlet also noted that Russell aims to “go beyond the original IP with a deeper storyline, high-intensity scares, and imaginative visuals.”
The original film starred Tawny Kitaen and, despite having a passionate following among ’80s enthusiasts, had its ambitions limited by the special effects of the time. Even if that debut film wasn’t a breakout success, it would go on to inspire two follow-up films, with the most recent of which,ย Witchboard III: The Possession, being released in 1995.
Stay tuned for details on the new Witchboard. ย
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