Reboot/remake fever is more contagious than ever in Hollywood right now, and the horror genre is no exception. Granted, there are plenty of original horror stories that have hit the big screen in recent years that have been critically and commercially well received, but every now and then word comes in about an existing franchise/property that's being brought back to look through in a new lens. One of these particular projects that's been in the works for a while is Grudge, which is a reboot of 2004's The Grudge and the second time the Japanese film Ju-on: The Grudge has been remade. Grudge is supposed to hit theaters next year, but Taka Ichise, the producer of Ju-on, has filed a lawsuit that may complicate that release plan.
As reported by Deadline, Taka Ichise has filed a breach of contract suit against Good Universe, the production company behind Grudge. Ichise's suit, which was filed at the Los Angeles Superior Court this past Tuesday, claims that Good Universe acquired the right to develop the next Grudge movie on the condition that Ichise, who was a producer on the previous Grudge trilogy, would be given a producer credits and paid an agreed-upon fee. However, Good Universe supposedly did not give Ichise his producer credit, hence why he's taking this issue to court. Good Universe produced Grudge alongside Ghost House Pictures and Stage 6.
Given Take Ichise's connection to the earlier Grudge movies, it makes sense why he want to be labeled as a producer on the upcoming reboot, so it's unclear what happened with Good Universe making good on that promise. given that Grudge is only two weeks away from its scheduled release date, obviously something will need to happen fast in order for that to still happen. The easiest way to accomplish that is for Good Universe to properly compensate Ichise or come to some other kind of out-of-court settlement. However, if this ends up going to court, then one would imagine that we'll have to wait even longer to see the Grudge reboot.
A fourth Grudge movie was announced back in 2011, but by 2014, it was revealed that rather than follow the original Grudge trilogy, it would be a reboot that introduces new characters, monsters and elements, while still retaining the same spirit as its predecessors. In July 2017, The Eyes of my Mothers' Nicolas Pesce was hired as director and to re-write the script that had been penned by Jeff Buhler. The story follows a woman who's rushing to save her son from a curse that was left behind in a vacant house in their neighborhood, and the cast includes Andrea Riseborough, Demian Bichir, John Cho, Lin Shaye, Jacki Weaver, Betty Gilpin, William Sadler and Frankie Faison.
Assuming that Taka Ichise's lawsuit doesn't pose as too much of an obstacle, Grudge will be released in theaters on August 16, 2019. As for what movies are hitting the silver screen late this year, check out our 2018 premiere guide for release date information.
