Many IT cast members shot to stardom after appearing in the horror hit -- including Sophia Lillis, who played Beverly Marsh. Lillis got a lot of praise for her acting in that movie, and she'll be taking her experience fighting evil clowns to fight cannibal witches. Lillis is headlining Gretel and Hansel, which just started filming this week Dublin. It's another retelling of the classic fairytale, only this time Gretel will be taking charge.
Coming from Orion Pictures, Sophia Lillis will play Gretel in Gretel and Hansel, a new horror film that puts a spin on the Brothers Grimm fairytale. Not much is known about the plot of the movie, but it will follow the two children as they journey into the dark woods to find food and work, only to stumble upon a nexus of evil (via ScreenRant). The movie has begun filming in Dublin and no release date is currently set.
Sophia Lillis will be joined by Sammy Leakey as her younger brother Hansel. The movie also stars Charles Babalola (Black Mirror) as The Hunter, but nothing else is known about this particular role. Finally, it wouldn't be much of a Hansel and Gretel movie without an evil witch, and this time we've got TWO witches: Alice Krige (Star Trek: First Contact) and Jessica De Gouw (Arrow) will star as the cannibalistic witches with a candy fetish.
This will be Sophia Lillis' second big project after her breakout role in IT. She followed up the horror movie with Sharp Objects, the critically acclaimed HBO drama in which she played the younger version of Amy Adams' character. Lillis will again reprise her role as Beverly in IT Chapter 2, this time splitting her character with Jessica Chastain, who is playing the adult version of Beverly.
I'm not sure the world needs another adaptation of Hansel and Gretel, but there's some interesting talent involved and it's far too early to say that it's not worth checking out. It might end up being quite good! Sophia Lillis is a rising talent and it'll be interesting to see what she can bring to the table in the lead role.
Gretel and Hansel is directed by Osgood Perkins, who has so far directed two features -- The Blackcoat's Daughter and I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House. Both are horror movies, so we'll see what Perkins can do with this new take on the fairytale. There's no release date, so, stick with CinemaBlend, and we'll be sure to keep you updated with new information as soon it becomes available. For everything hitting theaters for the rest of the year, be sure to pay a visit to our 2018 movie release guide.
