Director John McNaughton made his name in Hollywood with subversive thrillers like 1998’s “Wild Things” and the 1986 seminal serial killer pic “Henry: Portrait of A Serial Killer.” The latter film gave “The Walking Dead” actor Michael Rooker one of his big breakout lead roles. Now, the two are set to work together once again.
Deadline reports that the pair finally reunites after four decades for a new serial killer picture being compared to Showtime‘s “Dexter.” The new pic “Road Rage” will “center on a serial killer who only kills those who deserve to die—presenting a modern hero who is a bad guy gone good, protecting the innocent and punishing the guilty.”
Rooker returns to his “Henry” roots as he plays a truck driver named Stony that kills people who deserve it and is being referred to as the “ultimate serial killer.” In the film, Stony will return home after twenty years to settle a score from his past, which has yet to be revealed at this time.
In a statement, McNaughton says the reunion with Rooker is a long time coming, “I’d wanted to work with Michael Rooker again since ‘Henry: Portrait of A Serial Killer’ but we never got the chance. Finally, I wrote a story that took the genre in a whole new direction.”
Of course, Rooker has been mostly doing studio pictures lately, with roles like anti-hero alien Yondu, the space pirate surrogate father to Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill in “Guardians of The Galaxy.” He also had a brief but amusing role in “The Suicide Squad,” and most recently appeared in “F9.” He also got a bit of a career revival thanks to his involvement with the hit AMC zombie series “The Walking Dead.”
Expect a 2023 release for “Road Rage.”