Hansel And Gretel director speaks

Dead Snow director Tommy Wirkola got on the blower to Total Film this week about his current in-the-works horror flick Hansel And Gretel: Witch Hunters.

Previously, we reported that Jeremy Renner and Noomi Rapace were being lined up to star, and though Wirkola kept schtum on any casting confirmations, the flick itself certainly sounds like a doozy.

“It’s an idea I had since I was studying in Australia,” Wirkola reveals.”Basically, we pick up the story 15 years after the famous fairytale – Hansel and Gretel have become these merciless, kick-ass witch hunters.”

Yep, it’s a typically out-there concept from the guy who brought us Nazi zombies with Dead Snow . It also heralds an interesting partnership for the Norwegian director, who boasts Will Ferrell and Adam McKay as producers on his fairytale horror.

“Well, you know, after Dead Snow at Sundance it got sent around all the producers and production companies in Hollywood and stuff,” says Wirkola.

“And Adam McKay and the guys wanted to meet us – we were in LA doing tons of meetings. On the first meeting on the first day, I [ mentioned ] the idea and they loved it. So we’re going to produce it together with Paramount and Will Ferrell.”

Sounds like the perfect middle ground to us, let’s just hope the studio allows Wirkola to make the movie he wants.

One last thing, though - no zombies this time around? “No!” the director laughs. “Only witches!” Fine by us.

Josh Winning has worn a lot of hats over the years. Contributing Editor at Total Film, writer for SFX, and senior film writer at the Radio Times. Josh has also penned a novel about mysteries and monsters, is the co-host of a movie podcast, and has a library of pretty phenomenal stories from visiting some of the biggest TV and film sets in the world. He would also like you to know that he "lives for cat videos..." Don't we all, Josh. Don't we all.