Paramount Pictures is returning to the dark, gloomy well first spotted in 2002’s The Ring for its third instalment in the franchise, Rings. Described in a recent report as a “prequel” to the events of the two pre-existing movies, each starring Naomi Watts as an intrepid journalist, the movie has since gone on to secure its male lead. Fresh from filming YA adaptation The 5th Wave alongside Chloe Grace Moretz, Alex Roe is now locked in to star.
Roe is the second cast member to board Rings, which hails from F. Javier Gutierrez (formerly attached to helm the new Crow reboot). He joins leading lady Matilda Lutz and presumably an unannounced youngster tasked with crawling around in dingy wells and crawling out of television sets.
Roe and Lutz will play a teenage couple with Roe’s character set to give his girlfriend the cold shoulder after she forces him to watch the tape. It’s no surprise, either, as anyone who views the cursed cassette is immediately given a week-long death sentence.
The first two entries into the series generated plenty of advance interest – namely because of their source material. Koji Suzuki’s trilogy of novels sparked three Japanese adaptations which in turn caught the attention of Tinseltown brass, who snagged the rights for a Westernised remake. Together, Paramount’s versions grossed $411 million worldwide.
Marshalling the movie to the big screen are producers Walter Parkes and Laurie Macdonald, with scripting duties taken care of by Ehren Kruger (Transformers). Pre-production on Rings recently fired up and the finished product is on the calendar for November 13, 2015. Which is a Friday….