Paul Giamatti is one of those actors who can do anything, and has proven it time after time. From playing the baddie in Shoot ‘em Up to that time Paul playfully threatened his agents over a role in Planet of the Apes, the Academy Award nominee is truly a versatile performer. Now, after the end of his long-time stint on the Showtime series BIllions, Paul Giamatti is returning to TV in a way that makes me so damned happy: he’s going to be in a horror series!
What’s better, it’s not just any 'slasher of the week' role he’s playing! According to THR, Mr. Giamatti is now going to be part of an “elevated” reinvention of Eli Roth’s Hostel franchise. This new project has Roth returning to direct, as well as co-write alongside collaborator Chris Briggs.
So Giamatti's wishes to do something horror-related, which were shared during this past awards season as he campaigned for The Holdovers, have finally come true. Now if only we could get him cast in Bond 26, we’d be fulfilling Paul Giamatti’s Bond villain wishes as well.
Eli Roth teased this big announcement earlier this afternoon through social media, with a shot very reminiscent of the original Hostel film. Shortly before breaking the news of Giamatti’s casting, the Thanksgiving director shared this photo, complete with a cuttingly funny caption:
For those who may have forgotten, allow me to give you a crash course in the world of Hostel. Through two theatrical releases and one direct-to-video sequel, unwitting young victims found themselves in the orbit of the Elite Hunting Club.
A shadowy organization built to give rich sadists an open playground to torture people for the right price, each installment saw a new batch of players fighting through this deadly game. Oh, and it gets pretty bloody, with all sorts of skin and limbs being lost. This was the epitome of the “torture porn” era of horror, making Saw look kind of tame at times.
Now we already know that Paul Giamatti can be a compelling villain, but to see him go totally dark in a Hostel TV series is a whole other level. My guess, without any further information, is that Giamatti might be playing a big wig at the Elite Hunting Club. Over the course of the season, his operations will more than likely be sabotaged by the fresh meat of the saga, with Giamatti either being the big bad of Season 1 or the puppet master throughout this entire series’ run.
It’s all guesses at this point, but I kind of don’t care about the particulars at the moment. All I needed to know is that Paul Giamatti is finally making his horror project and Eli Roth will be there to guide him. What more could a Hostel fan, or a fan of this genre in particular, want? Besides a release date and specific platform to check into, of course; both of which are unknown at this time.
To get a feel for what Paul Giamatti has signed up, you can check out the first Hostel film from 2005 with access to a Starz account. That can easily be added onto a Prime Video subscription, making for a convenient arrangement.
