Last Thursday, Full Moon shared a livestream broadcast of a casting session on their website DeadlyTen.com. The movie being cast was the PUPPET MASTER spin-off BLADE: THE IRON CROSS, which sends the most popular puppet of the franchise on his own solo adventure:
Charles Band’s PUPPET MASTER series continues as an unspeakable evil from Blade’s past emerges in the form of a murderous Nazi scientist named Dr. Hauser. As Hauser’s heinous crimes are discovered, the psychic war journalist Elisa Ivanov awakens Blade, and together the bloody journey of revenge begins. It’s Herr Hauser’s reanimated undead army versus a possessed doll and a beautiful vengeance-seeking clairvoyant! Who will win, and how will it affect the Full Moon Universe?
While the synopsis brings information on the villainous Dr. Hauser and heroine Elisa Ivanov, character breakdowns put together for the casting sessions offer details on some of the film's other characters. The breakdowns also contain some plot details, so if you want to avoid BLADE: THE IRON CROSS SPOILERS, you shouldn't dig into these:
DETECTIVE JOE GRAY
45 to 50 years old, Caucasian male. Army veteran from WW1. Fit for the 1940s. He's a hard boiled detective for the LAPD. Unmarried and driven by principle. A bit of a lone wolf who loves to question authority.BARNEY BARNES
25 to 30 years old, Caucasian male. Newspaper photographer. A happy go lucky guy who likes to hang out in the newspaper bullpen and flirt with any woman he sees. Good at his job. Unfortunately he has sex with Gloria who kills him and turns him into a zombie. This roles involves nudity (no full frontal, penis sock and obscured) and a simulated sex scene.ERICH HAUSER
50 to 55 years old, Caucasian male. An engineer and leader of a new Nazi cell. Fit. He has a wiry strength. He also fought in WW1 where he earned the Iron Cross. Driven by his own agenda.WALTHER PROCK
38 to 55 years old, Caucasian male. Out of shape Nazi. Pudgy to overweight. Always well dressed and always has an attitude. He is a fixer. Hausers handler.JAMES D. MADISON
40 to 50 years old, Caucasian male. Comes across as your average politician but is actually a Nazi agent called Sleeper. He dresses in a black trench coat and wears a gas mask. He has a custom gas gun which he uses to kill people and melt away evidence. He's a bad guy.HANK MAXWELL
45 to 60 years old, Caucasian male. Hyperactive newspaper editor who doesn't take guff from anyone.ALFRED MULLER
25 to 30 years old, Caucasian male. A completely good guy who is the first to be killed.GLORIA VASQUEZ
25 to 35 years old, Hispanic female. A Spanish spy working for the Nazis. She can appear sweet, innocent and overly friendly but is actually a devious bloodthirsty femme fatale. She uses her knock out figure to get what she wants. More comfortable naked than clothed. This role includes nudity and a simulated sex scene.
A portion of the casting session is archived at DeadlyTen.com if you'd like to see who producer Charles Band and director John Lechago picked to fill some of these roles.
Lechago is directing BLADE: THE IRON CROSS from a screenplay by Roger Barron. Filming will begin on August 20th, and every minute of the production will be streamed live on the Deadly Ten website.
All ten movies of Full Moon's Deadly Ten experiment are scheduled to be released through Full Moon Streaming on February 14, 2020.
I'm a big fan of the PUPPET MASTER franchise, so I'm very excited to watch BLADE: THE IRON CROSS be put together. This film is in continuity with Full Moon's previous PUPPET MASTER films and is not connected to the Fangoria reboot PUPPET MASTER: THE LITTLEST REICH.