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

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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?

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