Grady Hendrix’s 2021 novel “The Final Girl Support Group” finally makes progress with a new horror film from Paramount. Originally, the book was to be turned into a TV series for HBO Max with Charlize Theron attached, but that has all changed. While Theron is no longer involved, “It” producers Andy and Barbara Muschietti are still on board as producers under their Double Dream label.
Christopher Landon, the filmmaker behind slasher favorites such as “Freaky,” “Happy Death Day” and its sequel, will direct. Previously, Landon wrote several entries in the “Paranormal Activity” franchise before hopping in the director’s chair for 2014’s criminally underappreciated “Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones.” He was also an essential ingredient for Valentine’s Day slasher “Heart Eyes,” which he co-wrote with Phillip Murphy and frequent collaborator Michael Kennedy (“Freaky,” “Time Cut,” “It’s a Wonderful Knife”).
Christopher Landed Makes Exciting Promise
After Deadline initially broke the news, Christopher Landon took to Twitter/X to tease fans about the project. “Excited for this one,” he wrote. “Expect a murderers’ row of final girls.”
He was immediately inundated with overwhelmingly positive fan reactions and questions. “Thinking of the IPs/licensing,” one fan posted, attaching a GIF of actress Julianne Moore as her character Havana Segrand in David Cronenberg’s 2014 drama, “Maps to the Stars.” Landon quickly replied, further whetting fans’ appetites, “Not the characters. But the actors who have played iconic final girls.”
Fans have begun speculating wildly about a potential cast list. Many suggested names like Heather Langenkamp (Nancy in “A Nightmare on Elm Street” films), Neve Campbell (Sydney in the “Scream” franchise), Melissa Barrera (Sam in 2022’s “Scream” and “Scream VI”) and Jessica Rothe (Tree in Landon’s own “Happy Death Day” films).
Others dug a bit deeper into slasher history and offered up such names as the ’80s Scream Queen Linnea Quigley (“Graduation Day,” “Silent Night, Deadly Night,” “Night of the Demons”) and Lisa Wilcox (best known as Alice from “A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child”).
The Ideal Final Girl Support Group
Christopher Landon has demonstrated a deep level of love and understanding of slasher history. His 2020 slasher “Freaky” riffs on “Friday the 13th,” “Halloween” and “Scream,” nodding to the past through easter eggs and script references. With “The Final Girl Support Group,” there’s an opportunity to bring together all of horror’s great final girls who would likely never cross paths in their respective universes.
Quigley, Wilcox, Adrienne King (Alice in the original “Friday the 13th”), Danielle Harris (Jamie in “Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers” and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers”), and Langenkamp are shoo-ins. They define ’80s horror for many people.
Depending on the budget, horror giants like Jamie Lee Curtis (Laurie in the “Halloween” universe), Campbell, Jennifer Love Hewitt (Jule in the “I Know What You Did Last Summer” series) and Sigourney Weaver (Ripley in the “Alien” franchise) could also find themselves at the center of the story.
For younger actors, several modern slashers have introduced fans to some great final girls. In addition to Barrera and Rothe, there are also Sharni Vinson (Erin in “You’re Next”), Samara Weaving (Grace in the “Ready or Not” films), Kathryn Newton (Millie in “Freaky”), Kiernan Shipka (Jamie in “Totally Killer”), Gideon Adlon (Parker in “Sick”), Sydney Park (Makani in “There’s Someone Inside Your House”), Lauren LaVera (Sienna in the “Terrifier” films), Katie Douglas (Quinn in “Clown in a Cornfield”), and Taissa Farmiga (Max in “The Final Girls”).
