The puppets return in BTS pics from Puppet Master: Axis Termination

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

PUPPET MASTER: AXIS TERMINATION, the eleventh film in Full Moon's PUPPET MASTER franchise (and the twelfth if you count the SciFi Channel's PUPPET MASTER VS. DEMONIC TOYS), has started production a little later than expected – when the project was first announced, the plan was to begin filming in January or February of 2016 – but the extra time may pay off in the long run.

Filming on AXIS TERMINATION officially began last week, with Full Moon founder Charles Band at the helm. The reason it got started later than anticipated had a lot to do with the special effects. Band wants this movie to have more impressive effects than the last few PUPPET MASTER entries had, and the September start has allowed him to secure the FX wizards and extra funds to make that happen. For the first time in quite a while, this PUPPET MASTER will even include some newly created stop-motion sequences, which is great to hear because it was always awesome to see the puppets brought to life through that technique.

AXIS TERMINATION is the final installment in the World War II-set AXIS storyline that began with PUPPET MASTER: AXIS OF EVIL and continued with PUPPET MASTER X: AXIS RISING.

Since filming is now underway and the puppets are onset, that has allowed for a batch of behind-the-scenes images to make their way online that show franchise stars Blade, Jester, and Pinhead, along with villainous puppet Weremacht, Nazi bad guys, a heroic Paul Logan, actress Tonya Kay, and special effects artist Tom Devlin of 1313FX.

PUPPET MASTER fans will notice that Blade has a syringe for a hand in one of these pictures. That's the "Reanimation Blade" look sported by a replica Full Moon has had available for purchase for a while. When the syringe-handed Blade was first revealed, it was said to be a glimpse of something we'd see in a PUPPET MASTER web series that has yet to come to fruition. It's not clear what the status of that web series is, but apparently Reanimation Blade will be getting some time in the spotlight in AXIS TERMINATION.

While Band works on this sequel, BONE TOMAHAWK's S. Craig Zahler is writing a franchise reboot called PUPPET MASTER: THE LITTLEST REICH.