Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters

This looks interesting. So, apparently I found out today that there is a new adaptation of Hansel and Gretel slated to release in 2013. The plot is revealed on IMDB: 

"15 years after their traumatic gingerbread-house incident, siblings Hansel and Gretel have become a formidable team of bounty hunters who track and kill witches all over the world."


There has never been an adaptation of Hansel and Gretel quite like this. I am extremely interested to see how this plays out. The Hansel character will be played by Jeremy Renner and Gretel by Gemma Arterton, both actors I enjoy. Renner was hilarious yet agile in the newest Mission Impossible movie that came out last summer. I believe he will make a convincing older version of Hansel. Hollywood enjoys crafting cool, superheroes type versions of fairy tale classics. I don't know if this spin will flop or rake in the money, but I will definitely go see it, just cause it looks like nothing I've ever seen. Here is a little blurb of what the director, Tommy Wirkola, had to say about the film: 


"Blood and gore and action, all the stuff that I love. [...] It's definitely an R-rated movie, the first draft has a lot ofblood and guts. First and foremost, it's an action movie, I think, with horror elements. And of course some dark humor as well. But the action and horror are the most import feelings I want."

The film will be taking on a much darker element, as Wirkola stated. It seems like the Grimm style will be seen throughout the movie, which is rapidly becoming a trend for Hollywood with movies like Snow White and the Huntsmen coming out based solely on the Grimm version. The lead actress Gemma Arterton speaks to Entertainment Weekly about her experience making the film and her idea of what the theme of the film is:

"You see a series of flashbacks with their experience of killing that first witch, which is brilliant. I remember being on set for the final few days of that. The candy house, and the witches are really repulsive and quite frightening. The make-up is out of this world. It's this bone-chilling scene. Very dark. The girl who plays my character is brilliant, with the horrified expression she has. This (movie) is about abandonment and being lost and parents leaving you. The heart of it is that these kids grow up to be bloodthirsty witch hunters. It's a bit tongue in cheek, really. What would Hansel and Gretel be in 15 years time?"

When reading this quote that Arterton says, I got really excited to see the film. She mentions the candy house and how amazing the make up is for the film, which leads me to believe that the special effects are going to be out of this world. Arterton ends the statement saying that the main message of the film is about abandonment and loss, which is a new twist on the story. There is more depth and complexity. She poses an intriguing question at the end, asking what would Hansel and Gretel be like 15 years later? I cannot wait to find out!