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Exclusive: Sliding Doors director Peter Howitt has been set to direct Lock Down, a feature set during the Covid-19 pandemic and the national shutdown in the U.S.

Howitt is directing from an original screenplay that he wrote with Gary Preisler (Kill Chain) who will produce alongside Nadine de Barros of Fortitude International and Sophie Seifried.

Fortitude is financing and representing international sales rights. The firm will be shopping the project in the run up to, and during, the Cannes virtual market next month. This will be one of multiple pandemic-themed projects at the market.

Producers are currently casting and eyeing a September 2020 start date in Los Angeles.

The story begins on March 14th, 2020 – the same day of the real California shutdown – in Santa Monica, California. It follows seven characters over 60 days whose lives intersect as they navigate the new normal that has suddenly been thrust upon the entire world.

Ryan Kwanten and Anabelle Acosta are co-starring in Kill Chain, the thriller from Millennium Media and CineTel Films that is being toplined by Nicolas Cage. Reef Break, Blue Bloods and Numbers alum Ken Sanzel wrote and directed the pic, which has just wrapped production in Columbia and will be on offer later this month at the American Film Market.

The pic opens with a hotel room shootout between two assassins, kicking off a long night where bodies fall like dominoes as we follow a chain of crooked cops, gangsters, hitmen, a femme fatale and an ex-mercenary through a relay of murder, betrayal, and revenge.

Enrico Colantoni and Alimi Ballard co-star.

CineTel’s Lisa Hansen and Paul Hertzberg produced with Gary Preisler. Eric Brenner, Cage, and Millennium’s Avi Lerner, Boaz Davidson, Jeffrey Greenstein and Jonathan Yunger are exec producers.

Nicolas Chartier’s Voltage Pictures has strengthened its Afm war chest with international rights to the action title starring Ryan Kwanten, Freida Pinto and Mickey Rourke.

Blunt Force Trauma centres on a deadly network of underground gunfights in South America called The Game.

Kwanten will play a young man and Pinto a vengeful woman who meet on their quest to locate the clandestine scene’s elusive champion.

Ken Sanzel of Numb3rs and The Replacement Killers fame wrote and directs Blunt Force Trauma, while Eric Brenner and Gary Preisler are the producers and hold Us rights.

A remake of Silent Night, Deadly Night was recently announced and will be released later this year. Titled Silent Night, the film will be directed by Steven C. Miller (The Aggression Scale) and is set to star Malcolm McDowell, Jamie King, Donal Logue, Jamie Kennedy, Brendan Fehr, Lisa Marie, and Ellen Wong.

The film has been described as a loose remake of the original 1984 movie and newly released plot details give us a better idea of what to expect:

Via Bloody Disgusting: “…the slashing begins on a snowy Christmas Eve in Cryer, Wi. The normally quiet town is bustling with activity as the the residents are getting ready for the big day. The events take place around the towns annual Santa Parade, which has brought a record number of Santas to town. Deputy Sheriff Aubrey Bradimore (King) is stuck reluctantly working the night shift, dealing with all of the drunken Santas,...

It has been announced that Jaime King will be joining Malcolm McDowell in Silent Night, the recently announced remake of Silent Night, Deadly Night. Continue reading for the official press release, which includes additional actors who have signed on for supporting roles:

“Heart of Dixie”’s Jaime King will star alongside Malcolm McDowell in the upcoming horror remake Silent Night helmed by Steven C. Miller (The Aggression Scale) and produced by The Genre Company and Buffalo Gal Pictures. Media House Capital will co-finance production, set to begin next week in Winnipeg. The project was recently announced by Anchor Bay Films and Inferno Entertainment’s new Ember label.

King, whose past films include My Bloody Valentine and Sin City, will play Aubrey Bradimore, a Deputy Sheriff who battles the killer Santa Claus terrorizing her small Midwestern town. Fellow genre veterans Donal Logue (Shark Night 3D), Jamie Kennedy (Scream), Brendan Fehr (Final Destination...

More casting news has come in for Steven C. Miller's take on the classic and controversial flick Silent Night, Deadly Night, entitled Silent Night. Read on for the latest.

From the Press Release

"Heart of Dixie"’s Jaime King will star alongside Malcolm McDowell in the upcoming horror remake Silent Night helmed by Steven C. Miller (The Aggression Scale) and produced by The Genre Company and Buffalo Gal Pictures. Media House Capital will co-finance production, set to begin next week in Winnipeg. The project was recently announced by Anchor Bay Films and Inferno Entertainment’s new Ember label.

King, whose past films include My Bloody Valentine and Sin City, will play Aubrey Bradimore, a Deputy Sheriff who battles the killer Santa Claus terrorizing her small Midwestern town. Fellow genre veterans Donal Logue (Shark Night 3D), Jamie Kennedy (Scream), Brendan Fehr (Final Destination), Lisa Marie (Sleepy Hollow), and Ellen Wong...

By Seth Metoyer, MoreHorror.com

Like it or not, Silent Night the remake is coming down your chimney this coming holiday season. Coined as a "loose remake of the controversial 1984 horror sensation Silent Night, Deadly Night", Silent Night will star actor Malcolm McDowell.

Anchor Bay Films has picked up the film for the U.S. and Inferno International’s new genre label Ember Productions will sell internationally.

Check out the complete details from the official press release below.

From the Press Release:

Anchor Bay Films has nabbed North American rights to the upcoming feature Silent Night with Malcolm McDowell set to star. The film will be released theatrically worldwide this holiday season. Steven C. Miller will direct. Today’s deal was announced by Bill Clark, President of Anchor Bay Entertainment.

Written by Jayson Rothwell, Silent Night will be produced by Richard Saperstein, Brian Witten and Shara Kay of The Genre...

**Updated with official press release** The cult classic Silent Night, Deadly Night is officially being remade, with a genre icon taking on the lead role.Variety reports that filming begins next month, with Steven C. Miller (The Aggression Scale) directing.

Titled Silent Night, the film stars Malcolm McDowell and “tells the story of a local police department’s search for the killer Santa Claus terrorizing their remote Midwestern town on Christmas Eve. McDowell will play Sheriff Cooper, a small-town hero ready for some big-time action.”

Anchor Bay has acquired North American distribution rights and plans to release Silent Night in time for the holiday season later this year. The original Silent Night, Deadly Night was released in 1984 and there have been four sequels since then: Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 (1987), Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out! (1989), Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation (1990), Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The...

Silent Night, Deadly Night, the poster child for Holiday horror films, caused a huge stink when it was released back in 1984. It wasn.t even the first .killer Santa. movie . (Christmas Evil from 1980 has that distinction though the anthology Tales From The Crypt had one back in 1971) but Silent Night, Deadly Night is the most notorious because it had the balls to be released during the Christmas season and its holiday television ads attracted the ire of overly-sensitive parents, some of who actually went out and picketed various theaters in protest of it. I’m surprised it took them this long to remake it and I doubt it will cause much of a stir, but here are the details so far (via Variety):

The Genre Company and Inferno’s Ember Prods. are unwrapping Christmas-themed horror pic “Silent Night,” tapping Malcolm McDowell to star and Steven C. Miller to direct...