Scott Derrickson to Direct New ‘Night of the Hunter’ Movie

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(Left) ‘The Black Phone’ director Scott Derrickson. (RIght) Robert Mitchum in 1955’s ‘The Night of the Hunter.’ Photo: United Artists.

Preview:

Scott Derrickson is directing a new version of ‘Night of the Hunter’.
He’s writing a new adaptation of the 1953 crime novel.
Universal is releasing the new movie.

There is always something of an outcry, particularly online when filmmakers dare to revisit movies that are considered classics.

But there seems to be less of a reaction to Scott Derrickson, who most recently made horror hit ‘The Black Phone’, setting up a new take on 1955 movie ‘Night of the Hunter’.

“The wedding night, the anticipation, the kiss, the knife, BUT ABOVE ALL…THE SUSPENSE!”

NR1 hr 33 minJul 26th, 1955

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In this case, it feels less like a cynical IP cash grab and more like a director with a real love for movie history identifying a fresh take on a classic tale.

What’s the story of ‘Night of the Hunter’?

Robert Mitchum in 1955’s ‘The Night of the Hunter.’ Photo: United Artists.

While the story is best known because of the 1955 Robert Mitchum-starring movie, it originates with a 1953 crime novel written by Davis Grubb.

Grubb’s book, and the novel, is the story of Harry Powell, a murderous ex-con who takes up the identity of a preacher in order to do his misdeeds. While in prison, a cellmate slated for execution tells Powell that he hid stolen cash with his kids. Upon his release, Powell finds the widow, woos her and marries her, all in a bid to find the loot. Things only gets worse for the kids from there….

The movie is considered a film noir classic and certainly sets a high bar. The movie, directed by Charles Laughton and also starring Shelley Winters and Lillian Gish, was selected for preservation into the United States National Registry in 1992. It is regularly cited as an influential title by many people working in the industry.

Who else is working on the new ‘Night of the Hunter’?

(L to R) The Grabber (Ethan Hawke) and Finney Shaw (Mason Thames) in ‘The Black Phone,’ directed by Scott Derrickson.

Derrickson will, as usual, work with his regular creative partner, C. Robert Cargill, who co-wrote the likes of ‘Doctor Strange’, ‘The Black Phone’ and the ‘Sinister’ movies. Together, the pair has become a reliable team of filmmakers across different genres.

Right now, the duo is deep in preparing to make the sequel to ‘The Black Phone’, which will reunite much of the first movie’s cast, including Ethan Hawke and Mason Thames, and is scheduled to hit screens on June 27th next year.

When will this new ‘Night of the Hunter’ hit theaters?

There is no release date for the movie yet, mostly because it’s at a very early stage of development and Derrickson and Cargill will be busy on the ‘Black Phone’ sequel for the foreseeable future.