The cast of the Faces of Death remake in the works at Legendary Entertainment continues to fill out, as now Jermaine Fowler (Sorry to Bother You) has been announced as the latest actor to join the film. No details have been revealed about the character Fowler is playing, as plot details are still being kept under lock and key by the studio. But we know who else is starring in the film, as Fowler joins previously announced cast members Barbie Ferreira (Euphoria), Dacre Montgomery (Stranger Things), Josie Totah (Saved by the Bell), and Charli XCX.
Fowler’s casting comes just ahead of the release of the comedy-horror film The Blackening, which will be put into theaters by Lionsgate on June 16. The actor’s voice can also be heard in the new animated Marvel series Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. Some of his other credits include starring in the CBS series Superior Donuts and having roles in recent films like Am I OK?, Late Bloomers, and Neflix’s Riverdance: The Animated Adventure.
Production on the new Faces of Death movie is currently underway in Louisiana. Daniel Goldhaber is directing the film using a screenplay co-written with Isa Mazzei. While specific plot details haven’t been shared, the Goldhaber and Mazzei have teased that the film will update the story for modern times, focusing on viral videos on the internet over the bootleg VHS tapes that inspired the original Faces of Death film.
“Faces of Death was one of the first viral video tapes, and we are so lucky to be able to use it as a jumping-off point for this exploration of cycles of violence and the way they perpetuate themselves online,” the two said in a statement when the project was announced, per Deadline.
Mazzei iz executive procuing alongside Rick Benattar. Susan Montford and Don Murphy of Angry Films are producing with Greg Gilreath and Adam Hendricks of Divide/Conquer. Cory Kaplan and Derek Bishe are co-producing.
Faces of Death Gets Updated
The original Faces of Death movie was released in 1978. Written and directed by John Alan Schwartz, the film features Michael Carr portraying pathologist Francis B. Gross, serving as the narrator of the documentary-style movie. The movie mostly consists of new footage presented as “real” footage of actual deaths or the immediate aftermath, though a certain amount of actual death footage was worked in. This made the movie highly controversial, getting it banned in more than 50 countries worldwide.
Controversy creates cash, however, and Faces of Death spawned a franchise, generating a slew of sequels. Various imitators would also be released. It may have been a matter of time before the franchise made its way to getting remade by Hollywood’s remake trend. Though, chances are, the filmmakers will have learned from the mistakes of the original and will be omitting any actual death footage. With that said, if done right, the movie could still wind up just as disturbing.
The Faces of Death remake doesn’t yet have a release date set.
