On the day that is nearly synonymous with his own name, we're confirming that legendary horror director John Carpenter has signed on to direct Darkchylde. Based on the comic book series created by Randy Queen, the film will follow a southern teen by the name of Ariel Chylde. Per the press release, Chylde is "cursed to become the creatures from her many recurring nightmares." Having not read the comic book series, I can only assume this is bad news for the people who cross paths with the "good-hearted" teen.
Darkchylde's production will be a couples affair as Carpenter and his wife Sandy King will co-produce the film under their Storm King Productions moniker alongside Queen and his wife Sarah's Darkchylde Entertainment label. Hit the jump to check out the first teaser image from the film as well as the full press release. Carpenter's latest effort, The Ward, debuted in September at the Toronto International Film Festival. Additionally, a prequel of his 1982 classic The Thing is currently slated to hit theaters on April 29th, 2011.
Here's the press release:
John Carpenter To Direct Darkchylde
The Master of Horror is set to bring you the girl of your dreams. John Carpenter is onboard to direct Darkchylde, based on the comic by Randy Queen about a good hearted southern teen cursed to become the creatures from her many recurring nightmares. Every time Ariel Chylde transforms, she sheds her skin and a new nightmare emerges from her Id to act out her deepest, darkest impulses.
John Carpenter and Sandy King’s Storm King Productions have allied with Randy and Sarah Queen’s Darkchylde Ent. to produce the film, following the release of test footage created by Richard Taylor’s Academy Award Winning Weta Workshop. (The Lord of the Rings, Avatar, King Kong, The Hobbit)
John Carpenter says, "Randy Queen’s hijacked angel, Ariel Chylde, is the best young female character since Laurie Strode in Halloween. Bringing Ariel and her dark mysteries to life should be quite an adventure for us all."
Adds Queen, "I’m beyond thrilled that John Carpenter, one of our most important, and legendary genre directors, and the man responsible for such landmark films as THE THING, and HALLOWEEN has come onboard with Weta Workshop to help bring the nightmarish tale of Ariel Chylde to the silver screen. As a horror fan, the thought of Carpenter and Weta together, beautiful dreamscapes, and multiple transformations, makes me incredibly excited. There is a reason nearly his entire catalogue has, or is being remade, and it’s because Carpenter is a genius."
Offering a stark contrast to super hero comics, Darkchylde was a breakout sensation of the late 90’s and early 2000’s, garnering immediate acclaim, and an unusually large female fanbase. The property went on to outsell Spider-Man, Superman, and Batman in both domestic and foreign audiences, and has been realized in toys, trading cards, apparel, lunch boxes, mini busts, and more recently a hit crossover with Top Cow, and a statue from PopCultureShockToys. Fans can now read the Ariel Chylde saga online via Wowio and Darkchylde.com and a trade paperback collecting the "Legacy" and "Redemption" series of books ships in January from Image Comics.
John Carpenter is an acclaimed director, screenwriter, producer, and composer, who won an academy award for his short film while still just a student at USC. His storied career includes such seminal films as Halloween, The Thing, Escape from New York, Starman, Christine, In the Mouth of Madness, Assault on Precinct 13, They Live, and The Fog. His most recent outing, The Ward, starring Amber Heard as an institutionalized woman tormented by a sinister spirit, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.
