Five Nights At Freddy’s: Release Date, Cast, And Other Things We Know About The Horror Adaptation
There are so many amazing video game adaptations that are gracing our big screens and small screens, such as the iconic HBO’s The Last of Us, which is getting a second season or (the lovely God of War, which finally got the greenlight for a series at Amazon. Something that you often see adaptations of are horror video games – and one of the most popular franchises out there is Five Nights at Freddy’s.
Starting off as an indie game that got a lot of attention by YouTubers such as Markiplier, PewDiePie, Jacksepticeye, and more, the game exploded into mainstream popularity and built a huge fan base which led to so much additional lore for these games. From books to comics and everything in between, Five Nights at Freddy’s has remained at the top of the food chain in terms of popularity – and now, it’s going to be getting a movie.
From when filming will start to who is going to star, the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie is finally underway. Here is what we know so far.
(Image credit: ScottGames)
Five Nights at Freddy’s is set to come out October 27, 2023, according to Variety. The film is going to release in both theaters and on Peacock on the same day, something that several other horror movies have done recently. It’s officially a part of the 2023 movie schedule, so get excited!
Matthew Lillard, Josh Hutcherson, And More Have Been Cast
(Image credit: NBC)
Confirmed by Deadline, it was reported that Matthew Lillard and Josh Hutcherson have been cast in lead roles for Five Nights at Freddy’s.
At the time of their announcement, it wasn’t confirmed who they would play, but during a St. Jude Charity Stream by YouTuber Dawko, Scott Cawthon (the developer of the game) confirmed that Lillard would play Michael Afton, the famous antagonist from the franchise, and that Hutcherson would play Mike Smith, the main security guard from the original game.
Both actors have had experience with horror and slasher movies, specifically with Lillard in the Scream franchise, and Hutcherson in Detention. If you really want to think about it, you could also count The Hunger Games franchise as scary movies, because it is about kids killing each other.
Lillard took to Twitter to share his excitement, saying that he couldn’t wait to see what happens next.
Also confirmed during this live-stream event (via DiscussingFilm on Twitter) was that Mary Stuart Masterson is set to play a villain (name unknown right now), and that Piper Rubio is going to play Abby, Mike’s young sister.
Several other people have been cast as well at the time of updating this in April 2023. According to Deadline, Elizabeth Lail has joined the cast in an undisclosed role, and Kat Conner Sterling has also signed onto a role in the film as well.
The Film Will Follow The Events Of The Game
(Image credit: ScottGames)
The Deadline article referenced above regarding Lillard and Hutcerhson’s casting also confirmed that Five Nights at Freddy’s is going to follow the story of the first game.
The synopsis says that movie follows a security guard when he starts a new job at the pizza place, Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, but as he starts to work there, he discovers strange things during the night that make him realize it “won’t be so easy” to work there as he originally thought.
Emma Tammi Is Going To Direct
(Image credit: IFC Midnight)
A director has been set for the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie, and it will be helmed by Emma Tammi, according to Deadline. The director is primarily known for her work on the film The Wind, a western horror movie, as well as her work on the television show, Into the Dark, and since she’s had so much experience in horror, I think she’ll be a good fit for a movie like this.
The Film Is Being Developed by Blumhouse, After Previous Attempts By Other Producers
(Image credit: Blumhouse)
For those who don’t know, the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie has been in production hell for some time. Back in 2015 when this movie was first announced, it was picked up by Warner Bros., according to The Hollywood Reporter. But it’s gone through so many phases and different directors (like Chris Columbus) being attached that it’s taken forever to get off the ground.
According to The Wrap in October 2022, Blumhouse Productions is set to produce the film – with Jason Blum working as a producer. Blumhouse has made some excellent horror movies, and has even come out with some awesome ones, such as M3GAN, so I have a feeling that Five Nights at Freddy’s is going to be in good hands.
Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Is Going To Bring The Animatronics To Life
(Image credit: Netflix)
This is something that really excites me. According to the Deadline article above regarding Lillard and Hutcherson’s casting, it was also confirmed that the movie was also going to work with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop in order to make those famous animatronics come to life.
Jim Henson’s Creature Shop is known for a lot, whether that be making Muppets for movies like The Muppets or working on visual effects for stop motion films like Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio. They really are a super versatile company, and out of everyone, the company is a great choice for bringing these amazing animatronics to life.
Jason Blum even spoke on Twitter about how he loved working with the company back in August 2022 – which was what spawned the rumors that Blumhouse Productions was working on Five Nights at Freddy’s. Consider me hyped.
Filming Began As Of February 2023
(Image credit: ScottGames)
Filming for the new movie has been well underway. Jason Blum, one of the producers of the film, posted a picture to his Twitter account back on February 1st, 2023, celebrating the start of production.
Day 1 #FNAF@blumhouse pic.twitter.com/TO1DEpwfr8February 1, 2023
We’re not sure if the film has wrapped production just yet, because no one has released official confirmation, but we do know it at least did stay on its production schedule and was filming in Louisiana, as multiple Deadline articles above confirmed.
While there have been really bad adaptations of video games, there have also been some awesome adaptations of video games, and I really hope that with this cast and crew working on Five Nights at Freddy’s, it’ll end up being a great movie. Now I just need to wait patiently – which I’m not good at. Can October get here any sooner?
