A remake of a cult teen from the 90s horror film is in development with a Stranger Things star set to co-write and possibly direct. Within the horror genre, remakes, reboots, and legacy sequels have become increasingly popular.. Recent examples include David Gordon Green Halloween trilogy, which served as a direct sequel to John Carpenter’s 1978 slasher classic, and The Exorcist: Believerwhich also acted as a direct sequel to the original 1973 film, but was much less successful, causing the planned trilogy to be scrapped with another franchise reboot planned.
Similarly, Scream (2022) brought back the horror franchise by introducing a new generation of characters alongside familiar faces like Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), and Dewey Riley (David Arquette), leading to a sequel, Scream 6. Another horror series from the 90s, I know what you did last summeris also getting the same treatment with a legacy sequel starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. set for July 2025. Now, the trend is set to continue with a remake of a cult 1990s teen horror film in development.
An Idle Hands remake is in development
A Stranger Things star is set to co-write and possibly direct
One Idle hands remake is in development with a Stranger Things star set to co-write and possibly direct. Originally directed by Rodman Flender, with a screenplay written by Terri Hughes and Ron Milbauer, the 1999 horror comedy follows a typical teenage drug addict whose hand is possessed by a demonic force and uncontrollably goes on a killing spree. The original cast includes Devon Sawa, Seth Green, Elden Henson, Jessica Alba and Vivica A. Fox.
Now, a remake of the cult ’90s teen horror film is in the works. According to Variety, one Idle hands remake is in development with Stranger Things stars Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk have signed on to write the script and are also being considered to direct after his debut with the comedy and horror film summer hell. Jason Reitman will produce the project, who shared the following statement:
Finn and Billy nailed their directorial debut and have a completely original vision of Idle Hands that captures a disaffected generation. We’re excited to support them as they bring their unique vision to the screen and summon demons.
Our opinion on the remake of Idle Hands
A creative meeting is underway
Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk formerly starred together in Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Saturday nightboth directed by Jason Reitman. The duo also co-wrote, co-directed and starred in the horror comedy summer hellwhich premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and was named second runner-up for the People’s Choice Award for Midnight Madness. Neon later acquired the horror-comedy for theatrical release.
summer hellwhich was acclaimed by the duo, is probably a big reason why Wolfhard and Bryk are writing and being considered to direct the Idle hands redo. This would mark not only a reunion for the duo following their directorial debut, but also for Reitman, whose presence as producer suggests great trust in Wolfhard and Bryk. Idle hands was originally a critical and commercial failure that gained a cult following, so it will be interesting to see how the duo can breathe new life into the teen horror film.
Source: Variety