DEATHSTALKER Reboot Casts Daniel Bernhardt For April Shoot
If you follow film fandom or “Action Twitter” or anything relevant to actor and action star Daniel Bernhardt, you’ve probably went about as nuts as everyone else when you read the Screendaily exclusive reporting plans to reboot 80s cult sword-and-sorcery thriller, Deathstalker.
There are four of these films in existence stemming from the 1983 installment, capitalizing off of successes like the Conan films and Red Sonja with a similar allure. The first, produced by Roger Corman among others and starring Rick Hill, sees the titular warrior banding together with several other heroes ahead of a tournament hosted by a wicked sorceror in a seedy plot to retain power.
That film is now getting a facelift at the behest of PG: Psycho Goreman director Steven Kostanski who will also pen the script. Bernhardt, a longstanding name in the genre with credits stretching back to the DTV action era and as of late with appearances in films like John Wick, Atomic Blonde, Nobody, Skylin3s and hit Max series “Barry”) is attached to star.
In the new Deathstalker movie per the announcement, “Bernhardt will portray the titular barbarian who finds himself cursed by a magical talisman that draws him into conflict with a malevolent wizard and a clan of monstrous assassins.”
More from the announcement:
Kostanski’s new vision promises a greater emphasis on exploring the series’ fantasy setting and filling it with monsters that will be largely realized through the director’s signature combination of creature suits, prosthetic FX make-up, and stop-motion animation. These effects are courtesy of the director’s newly minted Action Pants FX shop, which recently completed work on Kostanski’s upcoming horror-comedy Frankie Freako.
Production is slated to begin in Canada late April while a brand new comic is now in order from Vault Comics, and writer/illustrator duo Tim Seeley and artist Jim Terry. The pair are have reportedly worked closely with Kostanski, and Slash of Guns N’ Roses to bridge the original Deathstalker movies and Kostanski’s new film. The first issue will also launch in April.
“The Deathstalker universe is such a fun sandbox to play in.” said Kostanski, “Every installment has played so fast and loose with its lore, which means that there’s no limit to my imagination when it comes to what I can pit Deathstalker against.”
“I am thrilled to be working with Steven. I love this genre, and what Steven has been making in his creature shop is mind-blowing. I am so excited to do battle as a Deathstalker who is more of a grizzled war veteran in this story” added Bernhardt.
A Kickstarter campaign is also making the rounds as of the start of March to directly support Action Pants’ work on Deathstalker, and provide fans an opportunity to purchase memorabilia from the film, as well as exclusive merchandise including a new poster illustrated by Boris Vallejo, the artist responsible for the iconic poster art of the Deathstalker films since the 1983 original. The campaign goes live tomorrow, March 8 and will run until April 1.
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