Stand back zombies and vampires. It looks like witches are the new supernatural enemy du jour.
Despite the lackluster trailer for HANSEL AND GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS, Vin Diesel is pursuing THE LAST WITCH HUNTER. The film is in the early stages of development with director Breck Eisner. Both Eisner and Diesel have current projects they are working on, so HANSEL AND GRETEL’s box office performance next year will likely dictate how much traction this movie gets.
THE LAST WITCH HUNTER plot sounds remarkably similar to HANSEL AND GRETEL: Diesel’s protagonist is one of the last in a long tradition of witch hunters. When a group of witches and warlocks join forces to suddenly and forcefully expand their numbers, however, it’s up to this guy to stop them before their population gets out of control.
I like Diesel as an action hero. He is much better suited for the RIDDICK and FAST AND THE FURIOUS films than he is for comedies like THE PACIFIER. I would hope this film would aim for a darker, more serious tone. We don’t need another VAN HELSING cheese-fest.
THE LAST WITCH HUNTER screenplay was featured on the 2010 Black List for best unproduced screenplays and WANTED directed Timur Bekmambetov was attached for a while. It remains to be seen exactly what will happen with this project. What do you think of Diesel as a Witch Hunter?