John Carpenter's The Ward moving forward

Been a while since there has been any news on any of John Carpenter's new projects. There is nothing new about the prison one called Riot starring Nicholas Cage or the gangster film called The Prince.

However, there is some movement on his next film called The Ward (last mentioned back in February).

Carpenter has signed up Danielle Panabaker (Sky High, Friday the 13th) to star opposite Amber Heard (The Rum Diary).

It is a psychological horror thriller written by Michael and Shawn Rasmussen (Long Distance). The story follows a girl (Heard) who is admitted to a psychiatric ward where she meets other girls there with distinct personalities and discovers a mysterious girl haunting the halls at night. Panabaker plays another patient in the institution, a snobbish girl who flirts with orderlies and faces electroshock therapy.

In addition to Panabaker, Taking Woodstock star Mamie Gummer has also joined the cast as a patient in the ward. Principal photography is scheduled to begin next month in Spokane, Washington.

John Carpenter is one of my favourite directors, but his last film, Ghosts of Mars, in 2001 was not so good. The Ward does sound like it could be back to the brilliant John Carpenter we all want to see again.

Source: First Showing

Discuss in the forum or leave a comment below.

HOME

John Carpenter is checking into The Ward

I was watching John Carpenter's The Thing on Sunday night and wishing we would get another film by the big guy that was worthy of his great period of filmmaking - something that would fit alongside Assault on Precinct 13, Halloween, They Live, Escape From New York, and Big Trouble in Little China. There have been rumours and news snippets of John Carpenter making new films - a prison one called Riot starring Nicholas Cage and a gangster film called The Prince. However, it looks like neither of them will be his next one. No, according to First Showing, it appears that he will be going back to what he does best. Creepy horror. After 8 years John Carpenter is going to direct again with a film called The Ward. All we know about it is this - The psychological thriller will star Amber Heard as a young woman in a mental institution who is terrorized by a ghost. Shooting is scheduled to begin in May, with Echo Lake Entertainment and Saw series' Peter Block producing and financing.

"The Ward is the kind of script that I've been looking for: a complex, visceral story, full of suspense and scares," Carpenter told Hollywood Reporter. The script was written by Michael and Shawn Rasmussen.

Fingers crossed that it is a return to greatness. I can't wait. What is your favourite John Carpenter film? What is his worst?

Discuss in the Forum

John Carpenter's The Prince - Bad Ass Gangster

You wait ages for a new John Carpenter movie and then two come along. First there is his prison movie, Riot, starring Nicholas Cage (hope it is one of Cage's better acting roles!). I posted the poster for that one here. Now there is news of another film directed by John Carpenter called The Prince.

Filmstalker had the news and they say that the two writers on the film are Jeremy Passmore and Andre Fabrizio, whose previous credits include Special, the film about a man who is taking drugs that make him believe he's a superhero. Special is a great film and well thought out so they have got the moxie in the writing department.

About this new film they say:

“It's a bit of a departure. It's definitley more of a very character based crime movie. I don't know what's going on with it right now, but the premise is that this guy was the most [badass] gangster of all time in Las Vegas, and he's left the life and created this whole new world. His wife died but he's raising his kid. He's living in the middle of nowhere and he's this very religious, trying to live a straight life guy. His daughter is now going to school at UCLA and she disappears, and he goes looking for her. The trail leads to Vegas and he has to go get her, and the entire city kind of comes down on top of him.”

What's more he says they have completed a version that they're really happy with, and it's a brutal, violent and dark film at the end.

All sounds very promising and like the classic John Carpenter stuff that we just haven't seen in such a long time.

Are you excited about this news? My question to you is who could play the titular Prince?

HOME / FORUM.

Riot - Poster for John Carpenter's latest

Originally titled Scared Straight, the prison thriller tells the story of a troubled youth who is sent to the Scared Straight crime-prevention program. But when a riot breaks out and the prisoners take him hostage, a lifer (played by Nicolas Cage) is forced to help the young man out. I just hope John Carpenter is back on track as the genius director we all know and love.

What do you think?
HOME / FORUM.