Sunday, August 9, 2015

‘Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters 2’ Is Really Happening, Now Has a Director


Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters 2 seems like one of the more unlikely sequel developments in recent years, but perhaps Paramount is seizing on the increased popularity of Jeremy Renner…or something. Like many commercial directors before him, Bruno Aveillan will leap from TV commercials to commercial filmmaking, as he’s just been tapped to helm the new sequel.

Deadline reports that Aveillan has been chosen to direct Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters 2. Original writer / director Tommy Wirkola completed the script for the sequel last fall, though he (obviously) will not be returning to direct. Although the first film wasn’t a major hit in the U.S., it did rake in $220 million worldwide, so there’s definitely a market for a sequel, somehow.
Neither Jeremy Renner nor Gemma Arterton have been confirmed to return for the sequel, but if Renner is involved, it would see that the studio is moving to cash-in on the upswing in Renner’s appeal. His Hawkeye in Avengers: Age of Ultron was one of the real highlights, and a step up from the first Avengers. He also recently reprised his role for Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation — the first film in the series that doesn’t end with a Tom Cruise scene, but instead with a joke from Renner.
Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s Gary Sanchez Productions will once again produce for the sequel, while no other details are currently known. Presumably, they will hunt more witches.

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