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Matthew Lillard Reflects on “Five Nights at Freddy’s” Phenomenon

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Matthew Lillard, renowned for his roles in ‘Scream‘ and ‘Scooby-Doo’, has recently experienced a remarkable career resurgence, anchored by his performance in the huge hit, “Five Nights at Freddy’s“. In a detailed interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Lillard shared his thoughts on the film’s astonishing success and its impact on his career. “This is a really lovely little comeback moment for me,” Lillard tells The Hollywood Reporter, before reconsidering that sentiment. “I sort of want to quote LL [Cool J], ‘Don’t call it a comeback, I’ve been here for years.’”

“Five Nights at Freddy’s”, based on a popular video game, defied expectations by grossing $80 million domestically on its opening weekend and surpassing $220 million globally. Lillard, portraying the menacing William Afton, discussed the film’s strategic approach to appeal to its fervent fan base and the challenges of bringing a beloved video game character to life. “It’s exciting to be a part of this thing that has become an international sensation,” Lillard remarked, emphasizing the rarity of such opportunities in an actor’s career.

[Warning: The article continued below contains spoilers!]

Lillard in Five Nights at Freddy’s

Lillard admitted to underestimating the project initially, recalling how his children’s excitement upon hearing about his role changed his perspective. “The fact that the two of them agreed on something was crazy,” he said, acknowledging their instinct about the film’s potential magnitude. This familial insight, coupled with fan reactions at conventions, hinted at the movie’s impending success.

The actor also highlighted the challenges of portraying an iconic villain, expressing the pressure he felt to honor the fans’ expectations. “The hardest part [was] the amount of pressure I put on myself to not suck,” Lillard confessed, underscoring his commitment to delivering a performance that resonated with the game’s loyal following.

Matthew Lillard Signed a 3-Picture Deal for Five Nights at Freddy’s

Discussing the film’s PG-13 rating, Lillard praised the decision as “very, very smart,” aligning with the game’s essence and broadening its appeal. This strategy, he noted, was a testament to the filmmakers’ understanding of their audience and their commitment to maintaining the integrity of the original material.

Beyond the film’s commercial success, “Five Nights at Freddy’s” holds personal significance for Lillard. He described the experience as both humbling and exciting, a reminder of the unpredictability and rewards of a career in acting. “I’m 53, and I’ve had a couple of franchises in my career that have been successful. I [had thought] maybe that part of my career is dead and over,” he reflected. This newfound success challenged that notion, bringing a fresh wave of enthusiasm and recognition.

As he looked back on the journey, Lillard expressed deep gratitude for the film’s role in reviving his career and the joy it brought to his family, especially his children. The phenomenal success of “Five Nights at Freddy’s” transcends mere box office figures for Matthew Lillard; it reaffirms his lasting charisma and leaves us eagerly anticipating his future projects.

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‘Evil Dead’ Film Franchise Getting TWO New Installments

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It was a risk for Fede Alvarez to reboot Sam Raimi’s horror classic The Evil Dead in 2013, but that risk paid off and so did its spiritual sequel Evil Dead Rise in 2023. Now Deadline is reporting that the series is getting, not one, but two fresh entries.

We already knew about the Sébastien Vaniček upcoming film that delves into the Deadite universe and should be a proper sequel to the latest film, but we are broadsided that Francis Galluppi and Ghost House Pictures are doing a one-off project set in Raimi’s universe based off of an idea that Galluppi pitched to Raimi himself. That concept is being kept under wraps.

Evil Dead Rise

“Francis Galluppi is a storyteller who knows when to keep us waiting in simmering tension and when to hit us with explosive violence,” Raimi told Deadline. “He is a director that shows uncommon control in his feature debut.”

That feature is titled The Last Stop In Yuma County which will release theatrically in the United States on May 4. It follows a traveling salesman, “stranded at a rural Arizona rest stop,” and “is thrust into a dire hostage situation by the arrival of two bank robbers with no qualms about using cruelty-or cold, hard steel-to protect their bloodstained fortune.”

Galluppi is an award-winning sci-fi/horror shorts director whose acclaimed works include High Desert Hell and The Gemini Project. You can view the full edit of High Desert Hell and the teaser for Gemini below:

High Desert Hell
The Gemini Project

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‘Invisible Man 2’ Is “Closer Than Its Ever Been” to Happening

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Elisabeth Moss in a very well-thought-out statement said in an interview for Happy Sad Confused that even though there have been some logistical issues for doing Invisible Man 2 there is hope on the horizon.

Podcast host Josh Horowitz asked about the follow-up and if Moss and director Leigh Whannell were any closer to cracking a solution to getting it made. “We are closer than we have ever been to cracking it,” said Moss with a huge grin. You can see her reaction at the 35:52 mark in the below video.

Happy Sad Confused

Whannell is currently in New Zealand filming another monster movie for Universal, Wolf Man, which might be the spark that ignites Universal’s troubled Dark Universe concept which hasn’t gained any momentum since Tom Cruise’s failed attempt at resurrecting The Mummy.

Also, in the podcast video, Moss says she is not in the Wolf Man film so any speculation that it’s a crossover project is left in the air.

Meanwhile, Universal Studios is in the middle of constructing a year-round haunt house in Las Vegas which will showcase some of their classic cinematic monsters. Depending on attendance, this could be the boost the studio needs to get audiences interested in their creature IPs once more and to get more films made based on them.

The Las Vegas project is set to open in 2025, coinciding with their new proper theme park in Orlando called Epic Universe.

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Jake Gyllenhaal’s Thriller ‘Presumed Innocent’ Series Gets Early Release Date

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Jake gyllenhaal presumed innocent

Jake Gyllenhaal’s limited series Presumed Innocent is dropping on AppleTV+ on June 12 instead of June 14 as originally planned. The star, whose Road House reboot has brought mixed reviews on Amazon Prime, is embracing the small screen for the first time since his appearance on Homicide: Life on the Street in 1994.

Jake Gyllenhaal’s in ‘Presumed Innocent’

Presumed Innocent is being produced by David E. Kelley, J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, and Warner Bros. It is an adaptation of Scott Turow’s 1990 film in which Harrison Ford plays a lawyer doing double duty as an investigator looking for the murderer of his colleague.

These types of sexy thrillers were popular in the ’90s and usually contained twist endings. Here’s the trailer for the original:

According to Deadline, Presumed Innocent doesn’t stray far from the source material: “…the Presumed Innocent series will explore obsession, sex, politics and the power and limits of love as the accused fights to hold his family and marriage together.”

Up next for Gyllenhaal is the Guy Ritchie action movie titled In the Grey scheduled for release in January 2025.

Presumed Innocent is an eight-episode limited series set to stream on AppleTV+ starting June 12.

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