As a film enthusiast with a deep-rooted love for both classic children’s stories and horror films, I find this modern take on Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends to be an intriguing fusion of nostalgia and terror. The director’s approach to these characters is nothing short of ingenious, drawing inspiration from iconic horror icons to create a new generation of fearsome foes.
Are we prepared to continue our stay within the realm of the “Poohniverse”? The creative minds behind “Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood and Honey” and its sequel (both currently streaming on Peacock), Rhys Frake-Waterfield, writer/director, and Scott Jeffrey aka Scott Chambers, producer/actor, are not taking a break after their bloody triumphs. They have officially announced plans for an extensive crossover cinematic event that will see iconic fairy tale characters, all from the public domain, transformed into horror antagonists.
In 2025, characters like Winnie-the-Pooh, Bambi, Peter Pan, Pinocchio, and others will unite in the movie “Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble”, which draws inspiration from Marvel Studios’ successful formula. Director Frake-Waterfield, who is working on this project, shared with SYFY WIRE over Zoom that they are collaborating with several young, upcoming UK directors to bring these films to life. They aim to avoid overstretching themselves and find it refreshing to have a diverse style among these movies.
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Currently, as we speak, the movie “Bambi: The Reckoning” (directed by Dan Allen) is almost done with post-production. Meanwhile, “Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare” is slated to be filmed next, under the guidance of director Jeffrey.
As a fan, I can’t help but share my excitement as I delve into the same conversation, drawing inspiration from the eerie atmospheres of movies like “The Black Phone” by Scott Derrickson and “High Tension,” or “Switchblade Romance” in the UK. This upcoming project promises a unique take on a classic character – a Tinker Bell who sees the heroine as her precious pixie dust. The story revolves around Peter Pan, who has taken to abducting children, believing he’s transporting them to his mythical Neverland.
Additionally, there’s a movie titled “Pinocchio: Unstrung” in development, and although no director has been confirmed yet, Jeffrey reveals that discussions are ongoing with special effects expert Todd Masters (who designed the animatronic Chucky for the 2019 version of “Child’s Play”) about giving life to Geppetto’s famous puppet.
What are the Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood and Honey films about?
In the light of their unveiling, Pooh (Ryan Olivia), Piglet (Eddy MacKenzie), as well as two latest inhabitants of the 100-Acre Wood – Tigger (Lewis Santer) and Owl (Marcus Massey) – now set forth a destructive spree marked by hostility towards mankind. This violent behavior leads them to Ashdown, a town that once held their cherished friend Christopher Robin, who managed to flee at the conclusion of the initial film.
According to Frake-Waterfield, it’s crucial for Christopher Robin to play the main role in our story. This is because the books are centered around him, detailing his encounters with Winnie-the-Pooh. We aimed to ensure that this dynamic remains intact in our narrative as well.
On this occasion, Jeffrey performs dual roles as both producer and main actor, replacing Nikolai Leon as Christopher Robin. “It’s been exciting, and as an actor, my creativity has been fully engaged,” he remarks. “I encountered some really tough instances and scenes while working under demanding conditions – for instance, a rain machine that ran non-stop for 12 hours. It was quite a wild ride, but overall, everyone on set was just so kind … we had an incredible time.
For the sequel, Frake-Waterfield aimed to satisfy viewers by increasing their budget significantly. Instead of relying on studio executives’ assumptions about audience preferences, they directly consulted with consumers through social media polls, ensuring that the production would cater more accurately to the audience’s tastes. (Matthew Leslie, co-writer of Summer of 84, was also involved in this process.)
The director mentioned that people were asking for additional characters, deeper backgrounds, fresh designs for the monsters, and over-the-top deaths. In response, he and Matt gathered all the necessary information and carefully crafted a story that would fulfill these expectations. They focused on adding more depth to the lore in this new version.
Moreover, the project can now engage The Prosthetics Studio, a UK firm established by a makeup artist who has worked on blockbuster series such as “Harry Potter,” “Captain America,” and “Star Wars.” They have reimagined all the film’s creatures, handled all practical effects, and their work is nothing short of exceptional. I am genuinely thrilled for viewers to witness it now. It’s closer to the movie we initially envisioned making.
One advantage of having a larger budget was the opportunity to bring on board renowned actors such as Simon Callow, who has a rich history in both theater and film (you may recognize him from films like Four Weddings and a Funeral, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, and most recently, the Hawkeye TV series). Jeffrey remembers being pleasantly surprised when Callow accepted the role of Cavendish. “I didn’t think he’d accept our offer through his agent,” Jeffrey recalls, “but he found the character intriguing. He’s perfect. If you alter your acting in any way, he adapts accordingly, which is beneficial to me as an actor. I dislike over-rehearsed performances, and he’s not that type. He’s very instinctive.
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Instead of assembling the entire Pooh gang, Frake-Waterfield realized that a larger cast might necessitate sacrifices in terms of quality, particularly with regards to makeup and prosthetics. In his words, “There are practical and financial aspects to consider.” Jeffrey concurs: “We could attempt to include them all, but the result might appear somewhat ordinary.
Ultimately, they opted for Tigger and Owl due to their individual impacts on the team’s dynamics, as the director explained. Reflecting on the group, he mused, “I wondered, ‘How can I give each of them a unique identity?'” The director, with his affinity for ’80s horror, found inspiration for some of these characters’ traits from that genre, aiming to bring out that influence in their personalities.
Jeffrey expressed, “We’ve been wanting to revitalize some characters that haven’t been as prominent in the past couple of years, such as those from Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street. It’s been quite a while since we’ve seen a new film for these franchises. So, our aim was to say, ‘These are characters we all cherish, let’s try to give them a fresh take with these new versions.’
Below, Frake-Waterfield breaks down his view of each of the four antagonists…
POOH:
“He’s much more like Jason or Michael Myers. He’s your guy who just … kills people as quick as he can. His mission is, ‘Get there, die, move on.’ He doesn’t want to linger too much.”
PIGLET:
Piglet has a distinct charm, yet there’s a hint of influence from “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” in his design, particularly the apron part. Essentially, he eats just about everything, much like a real-life pig.
TIGGER:
“Tigger is much more like Freddy Krueger or Art the Clown. There’s more of a sadistic nature to him. He likes to torment [his victims], he likes to make people suffer. And he’s a bit crazy — that’s why his outfit is a straight-jacket covered in blood. There are some teasers out where there’s a blind girl and he’s holding her eyes [in a taunting way]. It’s because he’s enjoying the suffering. If that was Winnie-the-Pooh, [he’d] have just stomped on her head and moved on to the next person.”
OWL:
“There’s something really interesting about Owl, in that he’s always depicted as the wise one and he flies. He brings something different to the group. He can be a bit of a scout; he’s able to feed back the information of where certain people are, what they’re doing. [He’s] flying in the sky rather than just another physical body running around with slightly different weapons … there’s elements of Jeepers Creepers and Hellraiser. He’s a lot more vocal, he’s the most vocal one amongst the group … he loves to give speeches.
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2024-10-09 17:47