Don't Breathe's Fede Álvarez making horror film he describes as "The Shining set in the White House"
In September, we reported on a Texas Chain Saw Massacre reboot in the works from Evil Dead helmer Fede Álvarez, who could use a rebound after the dud that was The Girl In The Spider’s Web. Per a new piece in The Hollywood Reporter about Álvarez’s first-look deal with Legendary, it was revealed that he’s also working on an original horror feature that takes place in, gasp, the White House. (Cue the jokes about how no monster could be more ghoulish than its current occupant—Donald J. Trump!)
The untitled project is described as “The Shining set in the White House,” which has us envisioning a story where the noble president, driven mad by a corrupt and unfair Fake News media, tries to bludgeon his wife and child with a bust of Abraham Lincoln. Maybe Lincoln’s 12-year old son, Willie, who died of typhoid fever inside the White House, wants the president to “come play” with him. Maybe the ghost of William Henry Harrison, clad in a bear suit, will retreat into the Red(rum) Room with Zachary Taylor. The possibilities are endless!
Joe Epstein, who currently has a script on the Black List, penned the tale and Álvarez is attached to direct. Álvarez also has an up-and-coming scribe on his Texas Chain Saw sequel; Chris Thomas Devlin’s Cobweb, which is currently in development, appears on both the Black List and the Blood List.
It’s probably best not to expect anything soon, however, as Álvarez is also working on a sequel to his 2016 hit Don’t Breathe, as well as an ambitious spin-off of Labyrinth.