Cineverse has announced the acquisition of the rights for the eagerly anticipated third installment in the Silent Hill film series, Return to Silent Hill, set to release in the U.S. later this year. This new film promises to be a "faithful adaptation" of the iconic story from the original Silent Hill 2 game. According to Cineverse executive director of acquisitions, Brandon Hill, speaking to Variety, "Silent Hill is one of the best video game franchises, period, and Christophe Gans did a phenomenal job capturing the atmosphere of the games once again with Return to Silent Hill."
Director Christophe Gans expressed his enthusiasm about the project, stating, "I am delighted to partner with Cineverse, which has shown a genuine understanding of fanship. Return to Silent Hill is an adaptation created out of deep respect for a true masterpiece of a game, Konami’s iconic Silent Hill 2. I hope fans will enjoy and be fulfilled with the experience this new film has to offer."
The plot of Return to Silent Hill will resonate deeply with fans of the original Silent Hill 2 and the 2024 Bloober remake. It follows the journey of "James (Jeremy Irvine), a man broken after being separated from his one true love (Hannah Emily Anderson). When a mysterious letter calls him back to Silent Hill in search of her, he finds a once-recognizable town transformed by an unknown evil" and encounters "terrifying figures both familiar and new." The film was first unveiled in October 2022, and fans got their first glimpse at Return to Silent Hill's version of Red Pyramid Thing — AKA Pyramid Head — in May 2024.
Gans' first Silent Hill movie, loosely based on the first game, follows Rose, a mother searching for her missing daughter, Sharon, in a town where it inexplicably snows during summer. Despite being penned by Oscar-winning writer Roger Avary, who wrote Pulp Fiction, our review gave it a mediocre 5/10, noting, "So there we have it. Our worst fears realized yet again. The video game-to-film genre has endured more than a decade of mediocrity. Silent Hill is probably the smartest and best-looking video game adaptation yet, it just doesn't have much else going for it. After all, video games are about entertainment, and Silent Hill is a chore to sit through."
Silent Hill 2 (2024) Review Screens
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The second film in the series, Silent Hill: Revelation, directed by Michael J. Bassett and loosely based on Silent Hill 3, fared even worse, receiving a 4.5 in our review: "Silent Hill Revelation 3D is an inferior sequel in every way, shape and form, a horror sequel that fails to either intrigue or scare, and one that just might have killed the franchise cold-dead."
Return to Silent Hill is slated for a "wide theatrical release in America" later this year, promising fans a return to the haunting world of Silent Hill with a story that honors its roots.
