There is exciting news for horror fans, as one of the most terrifying characters in the genre is back.
First released in 2005, Wolf Creek stars John Jarratt, now 72, as Mick Taylor, a sadistic, psychopathic serial killer who hunts down and captures three backpackers in the Australian outback.
After masquerading as an eccentric local, Taylor soon reveals himself as a tourist-hating maniac in a gory film based on the backpacker murders committed by Ivan Milat in the 1990s.
Despite its controversial and gruesome content, Wolf Creek grossed $30 million (£22.8m) globally from a $1 million (£761,000) budget, proving that there was a desire for more.
It has now been confirmed that Jarratt will reprise his role as the brutal and torturous antagonist in Wolf Creek: Legacy.
Wolf Creek: Legacy is the third installment in the franchise. A sequel to Wolf Creek was released in 2013 while a television spin-off ran from 2016 to 2017 before talk of a third film circulated for years until things cooled down.
Now, finally, creator Greg Mclean is back to breathe new life into the franchise with new producers Jeremy Bolt and Sean Lahiff as directors.
Bolt previously produced Resident Evil, while Lahiff was an editor on Wolf Creek 2, so fans needn’t fear that the upcoming third film isn’t in safe hands.
News of the reboot was first reported by Deadline, who teased the plot as: ‘This time it’s a family of American tourists who innocently wander into Taylor’s hunting grounds.
‘When parents sacrifice themselves to save their children, the children find themselves, lost and hunted in the Australian wilderness.
‘Is this fresh prey – two wily, resourceful, Zoomers – prove harder for the old predator to eat?’
Join as a new character Jay Ryan (It’s Chapter Two) while casting director Angela and Louise Heesom, both of the first Wolf Creek movie, are on the hunt for young actors to flesh out the cast.
Wolf Creek: Legacy will begin filming in Australia in early 2025.
Speaking ahead of production, creator Mclean said: “I’ve always believed in the power of a fresh perspective, so I’m delighted to introduce Sean Lahiff as the director of Wolf Creek Legacy.
‘Sean doesn’t just walk in this world; he has been a part of it for years. This new chapter in the Wolf Creek saga is something I’m incredibly excited about.’
He announced the Legacy plot as ‘a bold new story that honors the franchise’s roots while pushing into new, uncharted territory.’
Director Lahiff added: “I want to deliver the horror and suspense that fans of the Wolf Creek franchise and the wider genre theater have come to expect, but add a new story.
“We explore the psychological terror of the hunt, the fear and resilience of these young characters, and the nightmarish quality of the Outback itself.
‘This is a story that will keep the audience on the edge of their seats, but it will also tap into something deep – the primal fear that dark tales always play on.’
The first Wolf Creek movie received mixed reviews. Critics praised its ability to build tension and make the audience ‘feel the pain’, even comparing it to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
However, others considered the constant depiction of violence too graphic, and some even went off the screen.
However, Wolf Creek has been cited as one of the few films released in the mid-2000s that started the ‘substantial boom’ of Australian horror films, which like Slant Magazine listed the film in the 100 best films of the past decade.
Speaking earlier, lead star Jarratt admitted he never expected the film to do so well.
About the character and preparing for the role, he told Sci-Fi Bulletin: ‘I read Sins of the Brother, a book about Ivan Milat (an Australian serial killer partly based on Mick Taylor). I’ll never know a serial killer, but I’m trying to find the truth.
‘Then I do what I always do: I build the character from the moment he is born until page 0 which is before you enter the script page 1. I have mapped his whole life and found the reasons why he is the way he is. .
“But I’ll never understand how anyone can do what they do in that world of serial killer psychopaths. It’s beyond me. They don’t judge themselves – they think what they do is good and they have a mild justification.’
Since Wolf Creek, Jarratt has also starred in Rogue (2007), Boar (2017), and The Possessed (2021).
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