Originally released in 1997, the Sega video game The House of the Dead spawned a franchise that includes several sequels and spin-offs, as well as a remake. Uwe Boll directed a film adaptation back in 2003, which received a sequel in 2005 directed by Michael Hurst. Recently, it was announced that Paul W.S. Anderson, known for his work on video game adaptations like Mortal Kombat (1995), Monster Hunter, and six Resident Evil films, will be directing a House of the Dead film reboot. Meanwhile, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Uwe Boll is working on a “sort of” sequel to his House of the Dead! This project is titled Return to Zombie Island, which “picks up with characters from the original movie, 23 years on. All the original cast are returning.“
We’re getting dueling House of the Dead projects from Uwe Boll and Paul W.S. Anderson!
House of the Dead Refresher
Directed by Boll from a script crafted by Mark A. Altman, Dan Bates, and Dave Parker, the 2003 version of House of the Dead has the following synopsis: Simon and Greg meet a group of friends and set out to attend a rave on a remote island. When they miss the ferry, they decide to ride with Kirk, a smuggler. They find the island deserted and discover that the partygoers have been killed by zombies. Now, the group must evade the deadly creatures and try to find safety. However, the only means of escape — Kirk’s boat — has been overrun, forcing the survivors to ward off the undead. The film stars Jonathan Cherry, Tyron Leitso, Clint Howard, Ona Grauer, Ellie Cornell, Will Sanderson, Enuka Okuma, Kira Clavell, Sonya Salomaa, Michael Eklund, David Palffy, Jürgen Prochnow, Adam J. Harrington, Colin Lawrence, Steve Byers, Erica Durance, Jay Brazeau, Bif Naked, Kris Pope, and Elisabeth Rosen… and apparently many of them are going to Return to Zombie Island.
According to Boll’s social media and the short teaser he released on YouTube (available at the bottom of this article), he aims to release Return to Zombie Island sometime in 2026.
Bottom 100
Like Anderson, Boll has made numerous video game adaptations. Here’s his list: House of the Dead (2003), Bloodrayne (2005), BloodRayne 2: Deliverance (2007), BloodRayne: The Third Reich (2011), Postal (2007), Far Cry (2008), In The Name of the King (2007), In the Name of the King 2: Two Worlds (2011), In the Name of the King 3: The Last Mission (2014), and Alone in the Dark (2005). He was also a producer on 2008’s Alone in the Dark II.
Some of his movies rank on IMDb’s “Bottom 100” film list; recently, House of the Dead was at 7th place and Alone in the Dark at 13th – but that hasn’t deterred him from revisiting them. Not only is he working on Return to Zombie Island, but he has also secured rights to reboot the Alone in the Dark film franchise.
Are you ready to Return to Zombie Island with Uwe Boll? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.
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The Hollywood Reporter
