Madison Iseman (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle), Aaron Dominguez (Only Murders in the Building), Antonia Desplat (Shantaram) andCharlie Tahan(Ozark) will joinStranger Things’Jamie Campbell Bowerfor a remake of the 1980s cult filmWitchboard. Chuck Russell, the director behind popular 1980s horror filmsA Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream WarriorsandThe Blob,is at the helm.
According toDeadline, who reported the news, the remake “watches as recovering drug addict Emily (Iseman), her fiancé Christian (Dominguez) and a group of their friends open an organic café, 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.”
Russell co-wrote the script along with Greg McKay. The two will co-produce alongside Kade Vu and Bernie Gewissler. Eric Schiermeyer, Sarah Buxton, John Paul Isham, and Walter Josten will serve as executive producers.Witchboardis now in production in Montreal.
The original 1986 supernatural horror film starred the late Tawny Kitaen as a woman who becomes obsessed with communicating with a spirit through a borrowed Ouija board. This leaves her open for possession by an evil spirit. The film, which was recently featured on Shudder’sThe Last Drive-in with Joe Bob Briggs, gained a cult following despite its less than stellar reviews. It paved the way for two unrelated sequels in the early 1990s,Witchboard II: The Devil’s DoorwayandWitchboard III: The Possession.
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Before rising to prominence as Vecna inStranger Things, Bower appeared in theTwilightfranchise and as a young Grindelwald in the Harry Potter film series. He will next appear inTrue Haunting, a horror about the first televised exorcism, andKevin Costner’s western epicHorizon: An American Saga.
Iseman is known for appearances on CMT’s Still the King,Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,Jumanji: The Next Level, Amazon’s recent adaptation ofI Know What You Did Last Summer,American Horror Stories, andAnnabelle Comes Home. She’ll next appear inKnights of the Zodiac, which hits theaters May 12.
Dominguez is best known for portraying Oscar in the first season ofOnly Murders in the Building. He most recently appeared in A24’sThe Inspection,and is involved in a number of upcoming projects includingSitting in Bars with CakeandKatie’s Mom, a comedy influenced by the Graduate.
Tahan is a former child actor who began his career with roles inAmerican LoserandI Am Legend. His most notable credits includeWayward Pines, Gotham,and Netflix’sOzark.He most recently appeared inThe Pale Blue Eye. Desplat is best known for her recent portrayal of Karla in Apple TV+‘sShantaram. She has also appeared on Netflix’sThe Letter for the King,Wes Anderson’sThe French Dispatch,andOperation Finale.
