Di Bonaventura Pictures (‘1408,’ ‘Transformers’) and Caliber Media (‘Dark Was The Night,’ ‘Some Kind Of Hate’) have partnered up to option the rights to develop a brand new take on Charles Band’s cult classic horror film franchise ‘Puppet Master.’ With the intention to produce multiple storylines within this new universe, the producers have set S. Craig Zahler (‘Bone Tomahawk’) to write the first script, entitled ‘Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich,’ and expand the mythology.
The original ‘Puppet Master’ franchise focuses on a group of anthropomorphic puppets animated by an Egyptian spell, each equipped with their own unique and dangerous device, and are represented as heroes, anti-heroes, and antagonists. Produced by Band and his Full Moon Features label, the series was established in 1989 with the eponymous first installment, which has since been followed by numerous sequels, comic books, collector’s items and toys.
Zahler’s completely new take on ‘Puppet Master’ maintains all of the brutally inventive puppet kills infused with the comedic tendencies that made the original franchise so popular with fans, while expanding upon Toulon’s backstory and developing richer dialogue, characters, and narratives.
The storyline for ‘Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich’ follows a recently divorced young man who discovers a mint condition Blade doll in his deceased brother’s closet and plans to sell the toy at a convention in Oregon celebrating the 30th anniversary of the infamous Toulon Murders. All hell breaks loose at the Postville Lodge during the auction when a strange force animates all of the various puppets throughout the convention as they go on a bloody killing spree.
‘Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich’ will be produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian for di Bonaventura Pictures alongside Dallas Sonnier and Jack Heller for Caliber Media. Charles Band will executive produce. Sonnier and Band announced the project together this weekend on stage at the Texas Frightmare Weekend presented by Fangoria.
“We couldn’t be more excited to take the series in a new direction while embracing all the practical effects and terrifying insanity that fans of the ‘Puppet Master’ films love,” said Heller.
“We couldn’t be more excited to take the series in a new direction while embracing all the practical effects and terrifying insanity that fans of the ‘Puppet Master’ films love,” said Heller.