“The Wretched” sequel is happening.
Five years after the film’s original release, Brett and Drew Pierce (“Deadheads”) and their Little Runway Productions will begin production on “The Wretched 2” this September in Oregon, with casting underway.
The Pierce brothers — who are returning as writers, directors and producers — said in a statement to Variety, “Independent horror has been staking out its claim at the box office in the last couple of years with films like ‘Terrifier 3’ and ‘Late Night With the Devil,’ and audiences are craving more from these original stories and voices. It just seems like the right time to bring our Witch back as she was born out of us wanting more from our creature features that we just weren’t getting. We’re going to push this story and the body horror into uncomfortable places.”
Written and directed by Brett and Drew Pierce, “The Wretched” follows a young boy who discovers an evil witch in the nearby woods. This sequel will broaden that scope and the terror to an entire town. In “The Wretched 2,” a small-town deputy is pulled into a rash of missing children’s cases only to discover that the skin-changing Wretch is back and has been preying upon the families of his community for a century.
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In an interview with Variety, Brett and Drew Pierce spoke about how Roald Dahl’s “The Witches” inspired their creature design. Brett Pierce said, “Drew and I were very much in love with that book as a kid and we loved that film. In the back of our minds, we wanted to make a scary witch movie for adults and grown-ups.” He added, “All the witches in horror films were pretty much ghosts or women trying to cast spells. We were interested in mythology and dug into that for her design.”
The Pierce brothers’ original horror film “The Wretched” premiered at the 2019 Fantasia International Film Festival and was released by IFC Midnight during the pandemic in drive-in theaters on May 1, 2020. The film passed the $1 million mark after a month of drive-in movie theater buzz.
Other returning producers are Chang Tseng, Ed Polgardy and Travis Cultreri. Kamikaze Productions is also on board.
The Pierce Brothers are writers/directors/producers for their Little Runway Productions.
The Pierce brothers are represented by The Gotham Group and the law firm of Jackoway Austen Tyerman.