I feel like it was just yesterday that I was talking to Leigh Whannell about Insidious: Chapter 3 at SXSW, when all we knew was that Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne weren’t going to return, but since then the project has received nothing but good news. First it was announced that directorial duties would stay in house with Leigh Whannell, then future Jem and the Holograms star Stefanie Scott joined the cast, and today brings more casting news in the way of a leading man.
Taking to the Twittersphere today, Leigh Whannell himself announced that actor Dermot Mulroney will star in Insidious: Chapter 3, making for a choice that many genre fans should love. While audiences will know Mr. Mulroney from recent films like The Grey and August: Osage County, horror fans should remember films like Stoker and The Rambler. If you want to see Mulroney at his most interesting, do yourself a favor and catch Calvin Reeder’s The Rambler, then you’ll know why Insidious: Chapter 3 has made a solid decision.
Here’s Whannell’s official tweet:
HUGELY excited to officially announce that great actor/great human Dermot Mulroney has been cast as one of the leads in Insidious Chapter 3!
— Leigh Whannell (@LWhannell) June 25, 2014
Listen, I majorly dug Insidious, equally loved Insidious: Chapter 2, and even without knowing any information about the upcoming trilogy-maker, the addition of Mulroney only makes me more intrigued. As an actor who has been around Hollywood for many years in more of a “that guy” capacity, I could see the talented performer making his own Frank Grillo-esque surge given the right roles. Who knows, maybe Insidious: Chapter 3 will keep him around the horror genre for a string of hits?
So, what do we know? Besides the details mentioned above, the only real tie-in to the previous Insidious films appears to be Lin Shaye’s ghost-whispering character, her trusty assistants Specs (Whannell) and Tucker (Angus Sampson), plus the ever-intriguing “Further” – hinted at during the final moments of Insidious: Chapter 2. Besides that, the Lamberts are taking a break from being scared senseless in favor of a new group of victims, a story Whannell is working on himself. Yes, writer/director/actor Leigh Whannell, a jack of all horror trades.
With more pieces of the puzzle coming together, Insidious: Chapter 3 is starting to shape up to be another horror movie worth your attention – if not because of the franchise name alone. Stayed turned as more information is unleashed from the belly of the beast, as each day grows closer to the April 3rd, 2015 release date, but tell us – what do you think about the casting for this third chapter of terror so far?