The Craft, the somewhat-campy-but-also-kinda-legitimately-scary ’90s horror classic, is officially on its way toward getting a reboot, with the updated version of the film landing a new director.
Hollywood horror studio Blumhouse Productions is now spearheading the project for Sony after the film languished in development hell for years, and collectively the studios announced that they have enlisted Zoe Lister-Jones to both write and direct the remake, according to Collider. Lister-Jones currently has just one credit as a film director, for the 2017 indie film Band Aid. Lister-Jones’ writing credentials are far more extensive, and most notably include the acclaimed 2012 comedy Lola Versus, on which she was a co-writer, executive producer, and star.
The original The Craft, about a coven of witches at a private high school, was a surprise hit in 1996 and maintains a strong fanbase. The movie’s strong tones of female empowerment and independence could resonate even stronger in the #metoo era, and the success of big tentpole female-driven genre films like Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel probably influenced Sony to finally put the pedal to the metal on the project. Jason Blum himself is producing the reboot, along with Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher of the original film’s production company, Red Wagon Entertainment. Executive producers are Red Wagon’s Lucas Wiesendanger and Andrew Fleming, who directed the original.
With the mix of Blumhouse’s horror credentials, a coven of minds from the original film, and a fresh young talent like Lister-Jones, it seems like The Craft reboot could very well end up casting a spell over both fans and the box office.
