“Riverdale” star Madelaine Petsch will serve as one of the leading roles for the upcoming remake of “The Strangers,” which is expected to be a trilogy…
Madelaine Petsch — best known for her role on The CW series ‘Riverdale” — has been cast in one of the lead roles in the upcoming remake of “The Strangers.”
The original film released in 2008 focused on a couple played by Scott Speedman and Liv Tyler, who end up staying in an isolated house where a group of people start terrorizing them in a home invasion. The random act of violence is made that much scarier when the masked killers finally reveal their true motive by telling the couple they were chosen simply “because you were home.”
Now a remake of “The Strangers” is in the works with not just one film but a trilogy with famed director Renny Harlin on board for the upcoming movie starring Petsch.
Harlin is well known for his work on dozens of high profile projects including “Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master,” “Die Hard 2” and “Deep Blue Sea.”
“My mother instilled the love of movies in me through the world of Hitchcock and other masters of suspense and horror,” Harlin said in a statement. “My breakthrough to Hollywood happened with the success of A Nightmare on Elm Street 4. It is only fitting that I get to return to my favorite genre with the incredibly well written trilogy of The Strangers.
“The characters and the storyline are all grounded in reality and offer me an endless tapestry of haunting visuals in bringing these movies alive.”
Harlin is also expected to direct the two sequels already in development at Lionsgate.
The upcoming film will also star Froy Gutierrez and Gabriel Basso in two of the other leading roles for the first movie in the trilogy.
According to the studio, the story will center around Petsch’s character as she drives cross-country with her longtime boyfriend (Gutierrez) to begin a new life in the Pacific Northwest. When their car breaks down in Venus, Oregon, they’re forced to spend the night in a secluded Airbnb, where they are terrorized from dusk till dawn by three masked strangers.
Petsch currently stars as Cheryl Blossom on “Riverdale,” which was renewed for a seventh and final season on The CW with the show set to return in 2023.
