Ethan Hawke may not be known for his roles in horror, but his star power shines bright when his films make fans scream. His upcoming role as a mask-clad villain this summer will be no exception. Partnering once again with Blumhouse, Hawke will be acting in one of his most anticipated roles in the past decade, and it’s certain to give fans plenty of sleepless nights.
Blumhouse’s The Black Phone has been highly anticipated for over a year now. It was supposed to premiere last year, but was pushed back due to the ever-surging pandemic we still find ourselves in. Perhaps this film will do some good, though as it may convince parents to keep their kids indoors. There’s a reason why parents tell their kids not to talk to strangers, and Blumhouse intends to remind everyone why. Here is everything we know about Ethan Hawke’s new movie.
What Will The Black Phone Be About?
Parents may want to be wary of this film as it revolves around child abduction and murder, themes sensitive for some parents. The Black Phone is based on a short story by horror author Joe Hill (author of the NOS4A2 novel). The film will follow a 13-year-old boy named Finney Shaw who is abducted and finds himself in the sound-proofed basement of an elusive killer dubbed “The Grabber,” an effeminate man with skin as white as paper. Based on the trailer, he finds them if a child says his name, a mistake that Finney seems to make. In the basement with him are a single dirty mattress for him to sleep on and a disconnected rotary phone, possibly left on the wall as a sick way for the Grabber to taunt his victims. This would make it all the more surprising to Finney when the phone rings and the voices of the Grabber’s past victims answer. Determined to end the killer’s spree, they guide Finney in hatching his escape based on their own failed experiences. Meanwhile, his sister Gwen begins having visions of Finney in captivity and uses them to try to lead the police to him before he can meet the same fate as the past victims.
The Confirmed Cast Of The Black Phone
Ethan Hawke’s role in the film is already known. His name is on the poster, after all. His character is said to be fond of wearing terrifying masks and taunting his victims with stories of his previous victims and from his own childhood. Hawke is noted as having a personal rule of never playing villains, but the film’s director was able to talk him into breaking it. Perhaps this conversation between the two also inspired Hawke to take on a second villain role in the new Moon Knight series, which will be coming to Disney+ later this year? This would also be the actor’s third most notable foray in the horror genre as he had previously starred in films such as The Purge, Sinister, and Daybreakers.
Playing Finney is Mason Thames, whose most notable role is from Apple TVs For All Mankind and a small guest role on the CW series Walker. James Ransone will play a character named Max. Fans may recognize him as the grown-up version of Eddie Kaspbrak in IT: Chapter Two and from sharing the screen with Hawke in Sinister as well as staring in its sequel. Emmy winner Jeremy Davies (Lost, Justified) will play the supporting role of Finney and Gwen’s father. Putting an actor of his Davies caliber in such a role may indicate some significance in the film. He can surely bring a real depth to the role of a distraught father. Finally, Madeleine McGraw will play Finney’s sister Gwen as one of the main focal characters of the film. The young actress has already had quite a few roles in high-profile movies, such as lending her voice in Toy Story 4, Cars 3, and The Mitchells vs. The Machines, as well as a few minor film roles here and there.
Anticipated Release Date & Everything Else We Know
Director Scott Derrickson teams with Ethan Hawke once again for what is sure to be a nail-biting, horrifying experience with Jason Blum as producer. The head of Blumhouse Studios touts this as the scariest film he’s ever worked on to date. The film is set to release exclusively in theaters, but that can still change. Universal Pictures, Blumhouse’s distributor, had no problem releasing Halloween Kills on Peacock as COVID numbers rose across the nation. If COVID has another massive surge, The Black Phone may be no different. If any moviegoers feel uncertain about heading to the theaters, fear not. Under the current Universal distribution deal, the film will eventually stream on Peacock within four months.
Fans can expect this film to land in theaters on June 24, 2022. It was previously scheduled to release this month before being pushed back a week. Critics have already showered this film with praise, earning it a perfect %100 critic approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, praising Ethan Hawke’s and Mason Thames performances in particular. Judging from the trailer alone, this may be one of Hawke’s best performances yet. Thames has noted that it wasn’t hard for him to act scared when acting across from the veteran actor as he was genuinely terrifying when behind his mask.
