Richard Connell’s 1924 short story The Most Dangerous Game has been brought to the screen many times over the years, and it’s easy to understand why. The basic idea of hunters deciding to challenge themselves by hunting humans is a perfectly simple set-up for some action and thrills, plus the story is in the public domain. Adaptations don’t always use the title, for example the upcoming Bruce Willis movie Apex (a.k.a. Apex Predator) is another take on the concept, but writer/director Justin Lee is using it for his new movie. Currently filming on the Koenig Pictures Backlot in the Pacific Northwest, Lee’s The Most Dangerous Game stars Tom Berenger of Platoon and Chris ‘CT’ Tamburello of MTV’s The Challenge.
This version of The Most Dangerous Game begins when
father and son are washed ashore after their steamership explodes. The men find refuge on a mysterious island where their nefarious host, Baron Von Wolf, reveals to them that the island is his game preserve where human beings serve as the ultimate hunt.
Berenger’s character is “a man who has been hiding on the island but whose sanity is on the verge of collapse”. Like Laurence Fishburne in Predators.
Also in the cast are Elissa Dowling (Girl on the Third Floor), Kevin Porter (Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story), Edward Finlay (Justin Lee’s Final Kill), and Randy Charach (Zombie Tidal Wave).
The Most Dangerous Game is being produced by Koenig Pictures, along with Quiet On Set, Charach Productions, and Greenfield Media. Deadline reports that Ed Morrone and Michelle Ng receive producer credits, while Bill Sondheim and Randy Charach serve as executive producers.
Lee had this to say about the project:
I am beyond humbled to have such an amazing cast on this project and even more thankful that I get to shoot it in such a gorgeous location that I grew up in. What Chris has brought to the table in the role of Sanger is beyond exceptional and I am very excited for the world to get to see what he is capable of as an actor.”
From the 1932 version of The Most Dangerous Game to the Jean-Claude Van Damme vehicle Hard Target, the Ice T movie Surviving the Game, and the Elizabeth Kaitan / Brinke Stevens sci-fi flick Slave Girls from Beyond Infinity, I have enjoyed several movies based on Connell’s story, so I look forward to seeing how this one turns out.