Here's your first look at Return to Silent Hill, the film adaptation of Silent Hill 2 that could release alongside its remake
James Sunderland included.
Remember the okay-ish Silent Hill adaptation directed by Christophe Gans and released in 2006? Well, the French director has been working under the radar on a big follow-up of sorts that also happens to be a reboot. The surprise? It's adapting the plot of Silent Hill 2, which is about to receive a Bloober Team-developed remake too.
A big-screen return for the Silent Hill franchise only makes sense, as it remains one of the most influential and very best horror game series of all time... until it stopped being good. While Gans' plans to return to Silent Hill have been in motion for a few years now, it seems that the arrival of his new movie, which is currently trying to secure internal distribution (via Variety), could line up with the release of Silent Hill 2's divisive (so far) remake.
The first-look image, as seen above, features the iconic Pyramid Head advancing towards the camera. This will be more than enough to excite many fans, yet we're still waiting to see how James Sunderland (Jeremy Irvine) looks and acts in this iteration of the acclaimed story. Hannah Emily Anderson plays Mary, and the rest of the cast includes Evie Templeton, Howard Saddler, Eve Macklin, and Robert Strange, among others.
The official synopsis reads as follows (and won't surprise longtime fans of the horror games): "When a mysterious letter from [Mary] calls [James] back to Silent Hill, he finds a once-recognizable town transformed by an unknown evil. While James desperately searches for Mary, he encounters terrifying creatures and begins to unravel the mystery of what happened to the town. But as he descends deeper into the darkness, the secrets he uncovers lead to a horrifying truth, and James finds himself struggling to hold on long enough to save his one true love." This take on the twisted tale could make the upcoming remake look either better or worse, but let's hope for now that both are at least adequate.
After spending too many years in the shadows, the Silent Hill is being revived by Konami in several big ways. The aforementioned Silent Hill 2 remake is getting by far the most attention, but Silent Hill F aims to reinvent the series, and recently we also received an ill-fated 'live experience' in the shape of Silent Hill: Ascension. It seems like all this could just be the beginning of a new era for the IP, as Konami continues to hire for more large-scale projects.