Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 2 (Possible TV Series Instead of a Sequel)

Rather than live out their happily ever after, it seems as though Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton are going to be called upon to eradicate the forces of evil once more. Paramount Pictures is moving forward with Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 2, with renowned French director Bruno Aveillan at the helm.

The sequel, which was rumored to be in jeopardy after the first film’s director Tommy Wirkola announced that he would not be returning, is being reworked with a new take from Aveillan. A source close to the project has informed me that Parmount’s is looking to pump a little more excitement into the franchise, already searching for a new scribe to rewrite Wirkola’s script. Specific plots details are kept mum, though the story will once again follow witch-hunting warriors Hansel and Gretel who must take up arms to vanquish an even greater threat.

Beau Flynn is returning to produce via his Flynn Picture Co, along with Kevin Messick, Will Ferrell, and Adam McKay through their Gary Sanchez Productions banner. Ashley Brucks, Gabby Canton, and Elizabeth Raposo will oversee for Paramount.

The first Hansel And Gretel didn’t make a huge splash with critics, who condemned the film’s script and gratuitous violence. However, the action-packed fairy tale found its audience with horror aficionados, raking in an impressive $226 million worldwide.

Wirkola went on to script the sequel, though disappointed fans when he confirmed that he would not be returning to the franchise he created. For a time, it seemed as though with Renner and Arterton’s piling commitments that a sequel was not meant to be, until Paramount tapped Hitman: Agent 47 writer Michael Finch to pen the latest draft. The action/fantasy pic is now gaining steam, with Renner and Arterton returning to star.

On paper, Aveillan seems like an odd choice to step into Wirkola’s shoes, as the distinguished experimental artist is not known for working on Hollywood B-movie fare. Aveillan, regarded by many as one of the most prominent contemporary artists working today, has photographed some of the world’s established stars, including Monica Bellucci, Rachel Weisz, Freida Pinto, Inna Zobova, and Milla Jovovich.

A recipient of countless awards and accolades throughout the world, he has directed a number of internationally acclaimed advertisements for some of the industry’s top brands, with Louis Vuitton, Audi, Nike, Lexus, Nintendo, Coca Cola, Perrier, Lexus, Nissan, Samsung, and Jaguar amongst his high-profile credits. Hailed as a brilliant visual artist and eminent auteur in his field, Aveillan’s work has been featured in numerous international galleries and can be seen in both prestigious public and private collections.

Recently, Aveillan was set to break into studio features with different fairy tale film at Universal, with a script from Ann Peacock presenting a new spin on Cinderella. That film fell into turn-around, though it seems that Aveillan will now get his shot at re-imagining a classic fairy tale after all.

It was only two months ago when we learned that Paramount recruited award-winning commercial director Bruno Aveillan to direct the Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters sequel. Now, Deadline reports that the studio may have halted sequel plans altogether in favor of a cable series adaptation through Paramount TV.

Tommy Wirkola‘s bombastic first film starred Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton as the titular witch hunting sibling duo. Inspired by the fairy tale, the movie took an extremely gory, tech and weaponry approach to the material, and saw the siblings all grown up and severely pissed off by their childhood captivity. It was critically panned, but I loved it’s whacky insanity and so did a lot of folks overseas. Hansel & Gretel only grossed $55 million at the domestic box office, but racked up $170 million in international grosses, leading Paramount to quickly order a sequel.

However, now the studio may be scraping that plan entirely in favor of a TV series. It’s not known at this time if they plan to bring back Renner and Arterton in the leads, but the report notes “it sounds like they might start from scratch.” Last year Wirkola confirmed he had turned in a draft of the script for Hansel & Gretel 2, but expressed uncertainty over whether Jeremy Renner would be able to return given how his career took off after he shot the first film. It’s possible that the studio was unable to lock down the leads for a feature sequel, prompting them to move in another direction. I can’t imagine Renner would be overly enthused about returning to one of the most critically-panned films of his career, especially now that he’s Mr. Movie Star.

I’m certainly in the minority here, but I absolutely adore Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters. It’s insane and insanely fun with an absolutely twisted sense of humor and some of the most over-the-top, go-for-broke action set-pieces in recent memory. While I’d love to see the whole original team return, I’d be down for a cable series as long as they keep it weird, nasty and ridiculous.

Tyger wrote:Noooo, if they go TV they'll lose the cast.

detective392 wrote:Rather get another movie. I see a TV series being canned after one season.

Tyger wrote:I think it could be a good win for him. If a sequel was even being considered that means it found an audience. He's missed out on two franchises and is the butt of more Avengers jokes than Ant-Man.

WyldeMan wrote:

detective392 wrote:Rather get another movie. I see a TV series being canned after one season.

If it lands on Fox then yes but if it lands on cable who knows, could fit in at Starz with the new Ash vs Evil Dead or somewhere like El Rey. You need a network that deals with camp.