Harry Potter actor celebrates end of franchise with lead role in Hammer horror adaptation of Susan Hill ghost story
The future looks black for Daniel Radcliffe, whose long-running stint with the Harry Potter film franchise draws to an end this year. Happily, the 20-year-old actor has his next move plotted out: he is poised to star in a Hammer horror adaptation of The Woman in Black.
Radcliffe will take the lead role of Arthur Kipps, a young lawyer who uncovers the secrets of an old dark house. The film has been scripted by Kick-Ass’s Jane Goldman and will be directed by Eden Lake’s James Watkins. Production is due to begin this autumn.
“I am incredibly excited to be part of The Woman in Black,” Radcliffe said. “Jane Goldman’s script is beautifully written – both tender and terrifying in equal measure. It is thrilling to be working with James Watkins. From his brilliant work on Eden Lake, and also having met him, I know he will make a fantastic film.”
Radcliffe’s enthusiasm appears to be contagious. “When I met Dan, it was quite uncanny how closely our thoughts on the story mirrored each other,” said Watkins. “I can’t wait to get down to work with him.”
Based on the 1983 bestseller by Susan Hill, The Woman in Black is set in a haunted village on the east coast of England. Hill’s tale inspired a 1989 TV movie as well as a hugely successful London stage-play.
The big-screen version is a co-production between Alliance Films and Hammer. Originally established in the 1930s, Hammer Films gave rise to the likes of Dracula, The Curse of Frankenstein and The Quatermass Experiment before falling on hard times in the 80s. Now resurrected, the studio has various films in the pipeline, including the Hilary Swank drama The Resident, and the vampire love story Let Me In, a US-based remake of the acclaimed 2008 Swedish film Let the Right One In.
Harry Potter actor celebrates end of franchise with lead role in Hammer horror adaptation of Susan Hill ghost story
