‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ movie

This year provides video game lovers with a plethora of video game adaptations like “The Last of Us,” streaming now on HBO Max or “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” soon to be released in April. One movie, in particular, has been awaited by fans since it was announced in 2015.

“Five Nights At Freddy’s” is a beloved horror video game created by indie game developer Scott Cawthon. The first video game in its nine-game franchise was released in 2014 and garnered worldwide popularity as more games came out. With the game’s ongoing popularity increase came the plethora of merchandise, book series and other miscellaneous products for fans to hoard and love. Inevitably, the game’s widespread admiration would cause the franchise to make its way to the silver screen.

In the beginning, there were multiple production issues regarding who would produce and direct the movie adaptation. It wasn’t until 2022 that the production com- pany Blumhouse announced it would pick up the project. Blumhouse has produced some of the most prolific horror movies of the past two decades, like Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” (2017) and James Wan’s “Insidious” (2010). With Blumhouse’s hands on the project, one could assume that the movie will not be afraid of going into the game’s horrific nature.

As far as directing goes, Emma Tammi will direct “Five Nights At Freddy’s.” Some of her past works include the horror western film “The Wind” (2018) and the fantasy horror movie “Blood Moon” (2021). Production-wise, series creator Scott Cawthon as well as Jason Blum, Blumhouse CEO and founder, will produce the film together with Russel Binder as executive producer. Tammi Cawthon and Seth Cudeback will provide the writing for the film.

Announced shortly after Tammi’s arrival to the project were the actors/actresses set to star in the film. Matthew Lillard, known for his roles in “Scream” (1996) and “Scooby-Doo” (2002), is set to play the franchise’s infamous antagonist, William Afton.

Josh Hutcherson has also signed on to act as the movie’s central protagonist, Mike Smith, who is a security guard in the original game. Hutcherson is known for playing Peeta Mellark in “The Hunger Games” movies, which is not traditionally horror, but it certainly has a thriller element to it. Other actors include Mary Stuart Masterson, whose role is unknown (other than she will play a villain), and Piper Rubio, who is set to play Abby, Mike’s younger sister.

The film’s overall story is set to follow the events of the first game, although not word for word. It’s merely an adaption of the original story, but it carries the game’s core elements. With that being said, the tagline for the movie reads as follows: “A troubled security guard begins working at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. While spending his first night on the job, he realizes the night shift at Freddy’s won’t be so easy to make it through.”

To help bring the story to life, Jim Henson’s Creature Shop has been signed on to help bring the animatronics of “Five Nights At Freddy’s” to life. As confirmed with Deadline, the famous award-winning practical ef- fects shop has already begun working on the animatronics for the film. This fact is especially exciting when considering the magnificent yet horrifying creatures the shop has produced in films such as “The Dark Crystal” (1982) and “Labyrinth” (1986). They’re a wonderful addition to the team, and fans are extremely excited for the functionality and looks of the animatronics.

The film is set to start filming in New Orleans next month, making it less likely for the film to release this year. However, there may be a chance for the film to come out near the end of the year or early 2024. There is no confirmation of a release date yet, but one could speculate when it may drop. Nevertheless, the speculation and slow release of new information about the movie has fans hyped and waiting for more.