Is Eli Roth, the guy who gave us unashamedly gory horrors like Hostel and The Green Inferno, going mainstream? He's already directing Bruce Willis in a remake of Death Wish, and now he's tackling his favored genre in a movie starring....Jack Black?
Roth will direct an adaptation of The House With A Clock In Its Walls, based on the first book in a series by John Bellairs and illustrator Edward Gorey. Jack Black will star in the story of a young boy who comes to live with his Uncle, who turns out to be a witch trying to solve a mystery. Here's the synopsis:
Orphaned Lewis Barnavelt comes to live with his Uncle Jonathan and quickly learns that both his uncle and his next-door neighbor are witches on a quest to discover the terrifying clock ticking within the walls of Jonathan’s house. Can the three of them save the world from certain destruction?
Filming should begin this fall, and I'm interested in seeing Roth do something a bit different. This certainly sounds like it should be more about mood and atmosphere than blood and guts. Black will be seen next in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. [Deadline]
