As with their previous pictures, Cargill will write and Derrickson will direct “The Night of the Hunter.” Amy Pascal (of Pascal Studios) and Peter Gethers (of KramMar Delicious Mystery Productions) will produce; the project was first announced with their involvement in 2020.
This is a gutsy move from Cargill and Derrickson. I like “Sinister” and “The Black Phone,” but “The Night of the Hunter” is in a different league as a bonafide masterpiece. It’s also a more subtle type of horror than the two usually tackle. I hope they’re aware they can’t eclipse Laughton’s film and don’t try to.
Reports (and Cargill’s comments on Twitter, see below) do seem to be stressing “The Night of the Hunter” as a new adaptation of the novel rather than a remake of the 1955 film. That’s probably the best way to approach this.
For those unfamiliar, NIGHT OF THE HUNTER was based on a novel that was *MUCH DARKER* than the 1950s would allow. Very excited about this project and thrilled we can finally talk about it.
— C. Robert Cargill (@Massawyrm) March 26, 2024
Derrickson has shown a talent for directing child actors, which is very important for this story since John and Pearl are at its heart. This is pure speculation, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the pair recruits their usual leading man Ethan Hawke to play Harry Powell too; have him combine his creepy performance as the Grabber in “The Black Phone” and his righteous, histrionic, and spacey one as abolitionist preacher John Brown in “The Good Lord Bird” and I think you’ve got something.
“The Night of the Hunter” does not have a release date scheduled yet.
