Return to Silent Hill marks a return in many ways. It’s a return for director Christophe Gans, who helmed Silent Hill‘s 2006 film adaptation but skipped the maligned Silent Hill: Revelation 3D.
It’s a return for characters such as James Sunderland, who haven’t really been adapted into many new stories since Silent Hill 2‘s original release. Most of all, it heralds a return for the franchise as a whole, being announced during Konami’s Silent Hill Transmission stream, which effectively served as a comeback stream for the series after a nearly 10-year hiatus. The weight of expectation is absolutely felt with Return, then and many fans are incredibly eager to know when it will make its way to the big screen.
Fortunately, we may now have an idea, thanks to a rumored date courtesy of IMDB; April 26th 2024. Of course, it is imperative that readers take this news with the largest grain of salt imaginable, as there are several complications on different fronts.
First and foremost, despite being a respected institution both within and out of the film industry, IMDB is fallible. Anyone can edit a film’s IMDB page and the quick removal of this information likely suggests inaccuracy. Google does also list this date when queried, but Google is infamous for often listing inaccurate information within its results.
If you’re worried about further delays because of the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes (and the unfair conditions that have caused and prologned them), rest assured that that appears unlikely.
If you’re not in the know, throughout the summer, many writers and actors have been striking in protest of untenable wages, low residuals, ethical concerns with the implementation of AI in the film industry and much more. The studios refusal to settle has caused many film productions to shut down entirely, as writers and actors are withholding their labor until a fair deal can be struck. However, going by an Instagram post from lead actor Jeremy Irvine, Return to Silent Hill should’ve wrapped back in June, before SAG-AFTRA went on strike on July 14th. Though ADR, reshoots and promotion are still concerns, with all luck writers and actors will have gotten a just deal by the still far-off rumored April release date and Return will be unaffected.
Still, with all this taken into account, it’s for the best that fans temper expectations with regards to Return to Silent Hill news. The film’s IMDB page does contain some relatively obscure info about the film, such as casting info for new (or re-named) characters like ‘Kaitlyn’ and ‘Mitzy’, which further indicate Gans is again taking Silent Hill in his own, unique, Jacob Crane-y direction.
Whilst we see what that direction entails, be sure to support the WGA and SAG-AFTRA in their fight for equitable treatment and stay with Rely On Horror for more Silent Hill news.
