Christophe Gans talks a little about his new Silent Hill, Return to Silent Hilland its link with its first adaptation.
The famous adage according to which live-action video game adaptations are systematically unsuccessful was, in the eyes of many players, contradicted in 2006. Gigantic fan of the games Silent Hillthe French filmmaker Christophe Gans (then famous for his Wolf Pact) wanted to respect him when he imported this legendary universe to the cinema. An attention that made people talk about it, and who continues to do so.
He intends to repeat his feat once again. More than 10 years after his last film, Beauty and the BeastGans goes back behind the camera to Return to Silent Hillwith Jeremy Irvine (war horse), in the role of a grieving husband guided by a letter from his wife, and Hannah Emily Anderson (the very nice What Keeps you Alive). A priori, the film should adapt Silent Hill 2the most famous game in the franchise, a remake of which was released in 2024. But this will not necessarily be a sequel..
Silent Hill(s)
Our colleagues from First had the opportunity to speak with the director, while the promotion slowly gets underway. The one who considers Silent Hill 2 as « the most distressing experience ever offered by a video game » returned to his influences, notably The Tenant by Polanski. Then he clarified things: Return to Silent Hill is not a direct sequel to its own feature film, and probably even less of the musty Silent Hill Revelation 3D from 2012:
“The time gap between the two films was necessary. Return to Silent Hill is not a sequel. It's a new film, with rules, like Silent Hill 2 'betrayed' Silent Hill. The second game established that this universe did not exist except in the character's head. We move from a parallel universe to the subjective vision of the hero. »
We would concretely be in the presence of a “reboot”, inspired by the almost anthological nature of the video game saga. Apparently, this difference will also be marked aesthetically, especially since it will use more contemporary staging techniques and will reflect the artistic evolution of an artist known for making few concessions.
“The male gaze [regard masculin, ndlr] is the deep essence of Silent Hill 2… Either I stupidly remade the first film, or I took advantage of this time to have a different experience. I too have changed. I am no longer the same. The first film, I saw it as a horror opera, very large, with large sets, crane movements… There, there are a lot of drones, handheld cameras, even for shots that could have been do with rails. The result is very, very different. »
The unique atmosphere that allowed the first game to stand out from other video game adaptations will therefore perhaps be a little different. To discover the increasingly intriguing result, co-written by Sandra Vo-Anh and Will Schneider, see you in 2025. Until then, there is no shortage of opportunities to immerse yourself again in the delicious horror of Silent Hill.
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