TommyWirkola

Gotta love those dark Germanic fairy tales. They are ripe with strange folklore, the supernatural, and some of the most grotesque creatures ever imagined. These stories are intrinsically woven into the fabric of horror culture. You would think there would be more amazing fairy tale film adaptations, but only a few immediately come to mind: The Company of Wolves, Little Otik, Snow White and the Seven Dwarf and Labyrinth. Perhaps they hold more magic on paper, but it's inevitable that filmmakers will continue to turn to these tales for inspiration.

Earlier this year it was reported that Tommy Wirkola, the Norwegian director behind the Nazi-zombie flick Dead Snow will make his first U.S. feature with Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. The film is being produced by Gary Sanchez Productions--the Paramount company run by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Chris Henchy and Kevin Messick.

The story picks up with the siblings 15 years after the whole witch-gingerbread house incident. They've become witch bounty hunters, out for the kill. McKay told the Hollywood Reporter back in April that the film will have a "Shaun of the Dead/Evil Dead 2 comedy action vibe to the proceedings. Modern technology but in an old style." Could it be Steampunk? The Hollywood Reporter recently confirmed that writer Dante Harper has been hired to pen the script for Sanchez. Harper has been working on the upcoming adaptation of Charles Burns' graphic novel, Black Hole, which David Fincher has been working on for Paramount.

My bets are on some of you seriously cringing at the mention of Will Ferrell and Hansel and Gretel in the same paragraph. Yeah, I kind of did too. There are a few things here that could push the film in either direction but Wirkola and Harper show some promise. Let's hope it can move beyond interesting concept and avoid get lost in the woods.