“Five Nights at Freddy’s”. Image: ScottGames via AFP Relaxnews
Chris Columbus has taken the director’s role on the upcoming adaptation of a cult hit video game franchise, restaurant horror “Five Nights at Freddy’s”, in production for Blumhouse Productions.
The “Five Nights at Freddy’s” movie project has moved from Warner Bros. label New Line Cinema to independent horror specialist Blumhohuse Productions.
The cult hit video game is about a solitary security guard assigned to watch over a family restaurant whose creepy animatronic mascots come alive at night, roaming the building with lethal intention.
Teased-out suspense and sudden jump-scare moments typified the franchise, and lone developer Scott Cawthon found huge success with the formula, iterating quickly.
He followed the original “Five Nights at Freddy’s” with a direct sequel later in 2014, while parts three and four arrived in 2015.
Spin-offs “FNaF World” and “Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location” landing in 2016 and free survival horror management sim “Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator” a December 2017 release.
Cawthon also co-wrote two “Five Nights” novels and over the course of the franchise’s development became known for leaving cryptic, hidden messages and for releasing games earlier than expected.
Columbus wrote 1980s classics “Gremlins” and “The Goonies”, and by 1990 was directing Macaulay Culkin in $476 million box office smash “Home Alone”.
He also steered the Robin Williams nanny comedy “Mrs. Doubtfire”, the first two “Harry Potter” adaptations, and “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief”.
His most recent release was 2015’s “Pixels”, whose video game references included Donkey Kong, Centipede, Pac-Man and Q*Bert, and which starred Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Peter Dinklage and Josh Gad; it suffered a critical panning at the hands of reviewers, but still accumulated $245 million in box office returns. JB
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