The makers of the slasher horrorWinnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honeyhave unveiled a first look at their latest project,Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare. As one of the many movies being churned out as part of Jagged Edge Productions’ ambitiousTwisted Childhood Universeof low-budget public domain horror fare,Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmarewill deliver a darker take on the boy who wouldn’t grow up than ever before. As well as being a standalone story, the film will form part of the “Poohniverse” crossover movie that is being promised in the near future.
Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare
As shared byVariety,Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmareis currently being filmed in the U.K., and has a very quick post-production period to cram in as the movie is slated to be released this Halloween. The movie stars Martin Portlock as a twisted, murderous, and disfigured version of Peter Pan. The plot centers on Wendy Darling, who must rescue her brother Michael from Peter’s sinister clutches, and in the processmeets a heroin-addicted Tinkerbellwho cannot tell the difference between the drug and pixie dust. you may check out the first look image of this appropriately nightmarish take on Pan below.
The cast ofPeter Pan’s Neverland Nightmarealso includes Megan Placito, Peter Desouza-Feighoney, Kit Green, Nicholas Woodeson, Kierston Wareing, Olumide Olorunfemi, Teresa Banham, Charity Kase, and Campbell Wallace. Scott Chambers has written the screenplay and is directing the film, while Rhys Frake-Waterfield, who has become known as the mastermind of the “Poohniverse” concept, serves as a producer.
What Started With Blood and Honey is Getting Very Ambitious Despite Moderate Success
Jagged Edge Productions is planning an expansion of their horror universe, noting it as something similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s crossover Avengers movies. Upcoming projects in this interlinked franchise of public domain plunderers includeBambi: The Reckoning,which transforms the gentle deer into a vengeful killer, andPinocchio: Unstrung, which reportedly finds the little wooden boy wearing the skins of his victims to be more like a real boy. These characters, and more, will eventually converge in a crossover film titledPoohniverse: Monsters Assemble, which is set to begin filming in 2025.
When Winnie the Pooh entered the public domain in 2022 there were already several people with their fingers on the trigger to exploit the arrival of the children’s character into an arena where anyone can adapt the source material without comeback or consequences.Winnie the Pooh: Bloody and Honeywas released in 2023 to horrific reviews but a box office of $5 million against its measly $100,000 budget. This led to a sequel being instantly green-lit and handed an increased budget of $1 million.
Before the sequel hit theaters for a limited run, Frake-Waterfield revealed plans for several more movies that would similarly take out of copyright children’s characters and turn them into R-rated nightmares. Earlier this year, plans were unveiled for a huge crossover event inthePoohniverse: Monsters Assemblemovie, and even talk of a “Phase 2” including even more terrifying additions to the franchise.
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The film from director Glenn Douglas Packard promises a version of Mickey Mouse “unlike anything audiences have seen before.”
However,Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2did not draw the kind of box office revenue of its predecessor, pulling in just over $730,000 despite the film actually getting significantly more positive reviews than the original movie. While the creative endeavors of Frake-Waterfield and others involved in the projects seem to be plowing on like a runaway train, they could find that the bridge is out, and a devastating crash would follow if the movies currently in production don’t live up to the hype.
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honeyis streaming on various VOD platforms.Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmareis expected to hit theaters this October.
