Circle of Confusion, the production company behind the AMC shows The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead, has acquired an original screenplay titled A WICKED TALE, which is described as "a contemporary horror take on the classic Brothers Grimm tale Hansel and Gretel" and tells the story of
two college students who stumble upon something sinister in the local woods after an altercation with a fellow student leads to deadly consequences.
The screenplay was written by Dan Kay, and Circle of Confusion has already hired THE HOUSES OCTOBER BUILT's Zack Andrews and Bobby Roe to perform a rewrite. Roe will also be directing the film.
Andrews will be producing A WICKED TALE with Matt Smith and Lawrence Mattis of Circle of Confusion, as well as Josh Weinstock of Seasmoke Entertainment. Kay and Roe will serve as executive producers alongside Circle of Confusion's Brad Mendelsohn.
Now that they have this project in their hands, Circle of Confusion isn't just planning to make this "contemporary Hansel and Gretel" movie and call it a day. They hope to turn this into a franchise and are putting a plan in motion to
build a shared universe franchise of horror films based on reimagined versions of classic fairytales and public domain characters.
Everyone wants to put together their own "shared universe" these days, but it doesn't always work out. Good luck with this one, Circle of Confusion.
The image above comes from a different fresh take on Hansel and Gretel, HANSEL AND GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS.