Uwe Boll Reboots Alone in the Dark (Exclusive)

It seems you can’t keep a good Boll down.

Maverick German director Uwe Boll is rebooting the horror action franchise Alone in the Dark. Boll´s Event Films has optioned the film rights to the hit survival horror video game series from publisher THQ Nordic. The H.P. Lovecraft-inspired franchise, which follows private detective Edward Carnby in his fight against the undead, has spawned seven games and sold millions of units worldwide.

Boll adapted Alone in the Dark as a feature film in 2005, starring Christian Slater and Tara Reid. While widely panned by critics then and now, the film has since achieved a sort of cult status.

For the reboot, Boll said he plans to stay closer to the original game, following the story of the latest 2024 release.

“We will capture the spirit and the era of the original games and follow the story of the new game,” said Boll, noting, “we can´t wait to reboot the franchise and cast our new Edward Carnby.”

Boll’s production partner Michael Roesch said they were also looking to develop the franchise into a TV series.

Boll became notorious among video game fans in the early 2000s for his indie game adaptations, which often took liberties with the original material. In addition to Alone in the Dark, he directed versions of House of the Dead (2003), Bloodrayne (2005), Far Cry (2008) and In the Name of the King (2007), the latter starring Jason Statham.

Boll famously challenged his fiercest online critics to step into the boxing ring with him, and literally beat them senseless.

Boll and Roesch are also working on Return to Zombie Island, a sort of sequel to House of the Dead, which picks up with characters from the original movie, 23 years on. All the original cast are returning.

Boll and Roesch point to the success of The Minecraft Movie and the Sonic the Hedgehog films as evidence of renewed market interest in video game adaptations. FX has announced a new Far Cry TV series, and Resident Evil director Paul W.S. Anderson has signed to do a The House of the Dead reboot.

The ever-prolific Boll is in postproduction on two back-to-back sequels of his 2024 cop thriller First Shift, which was a surprise hit on Paramount+, and the director has wrapped on his upcoming action thriller Citizen Vigilante, starring Armie Hammer.