The time is nigh for Silent Hill 2 to make a return, and in more ways than one. The popular horror game is getting a remake from Bloober Team, but it’ll also gear up for its first big-screen comeback since 2012.
Titled Return to Silent Hill, the project sees Christophe Gants, who directed the original Silent Hill film from 2006, back at the helm. While his plans to revisit the universe have been in motion for a while now, a first-look image of an iconic villain confirms that things are finally starting to take shape (via Variety).
Enter the live-action version of Pyramid Head, armed with his trusty weapon that many will recognise as the Great Knife. The infamous antagonist is shown standing behind some rusty (and bent) iron bars, which gives him a terrifying and menacing countenance as he faces the camera. However, he looks a little different here — rather than a simple metal helmet, there are spikes jutting out of the contraception’s design on the front.
Jeremy Irvine (Great Expectations, Benediction) stars in the film as James Sunderland, the protagonist of Silent Hill 2, while Hannah Emily Anderson (Jigsaw, What Keeps You Alive) plays his wife, Mary. The official synopsis reads:
“When a mysterious letter from [Mary] calls [James] back to Silent Hill, he finds a once-recognisable town transformed by an unknown evil. While James desperately searches for Mary, he encounters terrifying creatures and begins to unravel the mystery of what happened to the town. But as he descends deeper into the darkness, the secrets he uncovers lead to a horrifying truth, and James finds himself struggling to hold on long enough to save his one true love.”
Sandra Vo-Anh and William Josef Schneider serve as co-writers alongside Gants. Return to Silent Hill has yet to receive a release date, but will be the third film in the live-action series, which started with 2006’s Silent Hill starring Radha Mitchell, Sean Bean, and Laura Holden. A sequel, Silent Hill: Revelation, was released in 2012.
The upcoming film is part of Konami’s concerted push to revive the dormant franchise for the modern audience. Silent Hill: Ascension, released last year, delivered an ill-fated streaming experience, but the thought of more large-scale projects does bring a glimmer of hope. Their delivery, though, remains to be seen.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
