Hansel Gretel writer

I’ll be honest, I didn’t even know this project existed until I saw the announcement that HANSEL AND GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS had a writer in the form of Dante Harper. But as it turns out, it’s already got a director and producers as well.

“Dead Snow” co-writer/director Tommy Wirkola is helming the project for Gary Sanchez Prods. and Paramount. The Norwegian pitched and plotted out the story line, which picks up the fairy-tale siblings 15 years after their traumatic gingerbread house incident, which provoked them to become witch bounty hunters. Sanchez execs Kevin Messick, Adam McKay, Will Ferrell and Chris Henchy are producing the horror-action comedy, which is pitched as having a gory-but-funny “Shaun of the Dead” vibe.

I could easily see Ferrell starring in this, as his next goofy man-child vehicle, but I think it would be better to let someone else take center stage for a change. I think that husband-wife pair Will Arnett and Amy Poehler could be pretty great here, or maybe something along the lines of Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig. In any case, the director of DEAD SNOW shooting for a SHAUN OF THE DEAD vibe sounds like a pretty great start to me.