It’s been a year and a half since “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” hit theaters, and director Edgar Wright has continued to remain mum on what might be next. He’s been busy, for certain, with Marvel movie “Ant Man,” and original scripts for “Baby Driver” and “Shaun of the Dead“/”Hot Fuzz” follow up “The World’s End” all percolating, but with little firm news on any as they continued to be developed. Well, it’s unlikely to be his next film, but it’s just been revealed that Wright’s got another project, and it’s with the biggest movie star on the planet.
Deadline report that Disney have attached Wright to direct “The Night Stalker,” a big-screen reboot of the 1970s TV movie and subsequent series that will star and be produced by Johnny Depp. The show starred Darren McGavin as Las Vegas newspaper reporter Carl Kolchak, who comes up against vampires at first, and then a variety of other paranormal creatures. The character and series was a major influence on “The X-Files,” among others, and the remake was set up last summer by Depp’s Infinitum Nihil production company.
It’s still at very early stages: there’s no writer on board yet, but Wright will work with Depp, Disney and producer Christi Dembrowksi on developing the film, which, being a Disney production, will be a PG-13 tentpole. As such, we don’t imagine it’ll be the director’s next film, but will likely follow on from that. Still, it seems a good fit for his sensibilities, it’ll give him his widest audience yet, and we’re infinitely more excited about the project with his involvement than we would have been with, say, Tim Burton at the helm.