EXCLUSIVE: Constantin Film is remaking the West Virginia cannibals movie Wrong Turn, a franchise which kicked off in 2003 with a theatrical release via Fox and spawned another five films, the last being in 2014. The franchise’s creator Alan McElroy has returned to pen the script, and Mike P. Nelson, who recently helmed Orion Classics’ sci-fi thriller The Domestics, is directing.


The updated version is described as a timely and topical meditation on society and its issues. A cross-country hiking expedition puts a group of friends in the land of an inclusive society, where they soon discover they are under a different rule of law, and may not be the victims they thought they were.

Constantin Film’s Robert Kulzer will produce, and Martin Moszkowicz will executive produce. Producer Robert Kulzer said, “Alan’s re -interpretation of his own work and Mike’s vision are a frightening reflection of our world today: one person’s American dream is another’s worst nightmare.”

McElroy has built a career in the genre sphere, beginning with Halloween 4 script. He went on to write the cult classic Spawn, an early draft of the billion-dollar franchise Resident Evil, Tekken, and recently episodes of The Vampire Diaries and The Night Shift. He is repped by Gersh and Writ Large.

The Domestics marked Nelson’s solo feature directorial debut and the pic starred Kate Bosworth. He is represented by ICM, Writ Large, and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern.

John Papsidera, known for Dunkirk, Westworld and Jurassic World, among many others, is casting the film. He previously worked with Nelson on The Domestics.

The Misfits Club and American Assassin star Charlotte Vega will lead the cast of Wrong Turn, a reboot of the cult horror franchise being produced by Constantin Film.

Alan B. McElroy, who wrote the original 2003 version of Wrong Turn, which was followed by five sequels, is teaming with Resident Evil producer Robert Kulzer and 47 Meters Down producer James Harris on the project. Mike P. Nelson (The Domestics) is directing.

Martin Moszkowicz, also of Resident Evil fame, is an executive producer.

London-based Mister Smith Entertainment is commencing sales on the project, currently in pre-production, in Cannes this week.

Vega will play the lead role of Jes in the story of six friends from New York taking a hiking trip to the beautiful West Virginia Mountains who unwittingly fall prey to a savage sect known as The Foundation.

The actress also previously starred in 2017 horror film The Lodgers and dramas The Bookshop and Provenance.

Mister Smith was launched as a joint venture between Constantin and David Garrett, co-founder of Summit Entertainment, at Cannes in 2012. The companies operate individually and do not have a formal arrangement in place.

Filming is well underway on director Mike P. Nelson (The Domestics)’s new installment in the Wrong Turn franchise, with Charlotte Vega (The Lodgers) leading the cast.

The new take on the long-running franchise will take a group of unlucky friends to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia to spend a couple days hiking the Appalachian Trail. In this one, they are confronted by “The Foundation”, a community of people who have lived in the mountains since before the Civil War – oh, and they don’t take well to strangers.

We’ve been able to confirm the full cast that’s now listed on IMDb, which includes Matthew Modine (“Stranger Things”, 47 Meters Down), Damian Maffei (The Strangers: Prey at Night, Haunt), Bill Sage (“Hap and Leonard”), Emma Dumont (“The Gifted”), Valerie Jane Parker (“Greenleaf”), Chaney Morrow (Haunt) and David Hutchinson (“American Horror Story”).

Dylan McTee, Adrian Favela, Adain Bradley, Jeremy Ambler, Cory Scott Allen, Gary Ray Stearns, Rhyan Elizabeth Hanavan, Vardaan Arora, Mark Mench, Joshua Stephen Campbell, Jennie Malone, Brian James Fitzpatrick and Mark Angel also star.

Interesting to note, character names include “Deer Skull,” “Ram Skull,” “Wild Boar Skull” and “Wolf Skull.” So it sounds like we’ll be meeting some new villains in this one.

Alan B. McElroy, the writer of the original film, wrote the new movie’s script.

Officially rated “R” by the MPA last week, we’ve learned today that director Mike P. Nelson‘s (The Domestics) new take on the Wrong Turn franchise has been acquired by Saban Films. The film, being billed as a reboot, doesn’t yet have a release date at this time.

“Wrong Turn is a much-anticipated reboot that will not disappoint,” said Saban’s Bill Bromiley in a statement shared by Variety today. The previous title was Wrong Turn: The Foundation.

The new twist to the long-running franchise will bring a group of unlucky friends to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia to spend a couple days hiking the Appalachian Trail. In this one, they are confronted by “The Foundation”, a community of people who have lived in the mountains since before the Civil War – oh, and they don’t take well to strangers.

Wrong Turn is rated “R” for “Strong bloody violence, grisly images and pervasive language.”

We’ve been able to confirm the full cast that’s now listed on IMDb, which includes Matthew Modine (“Stranger Things”, 47 Meters Down), Damian Maffei (The Strangers: Prey at Night, Haunt), Bill Sage (“Hap and Leonard”), Emma Dumont (“The Gifted”), Valerie Jane Parker (“Greenleaf”), Chaney Morrow (Haunt) and David Hutchinson (“American Horror Story”).

Dylan McTee, Adrian Favela, Adain Bradley, Jeremy Ambler, Cory Scott Allen, Gary Ray Stearns, Rhyan Elizabeth Hanavan, Vardaan Arora, Mark Mench, Joshua Stephen Campbell, Jennie Malone, Brian James Fitzpatrick and Mark Angel also star.

Alan B. McElroy, the writer of the original film, wrote the new movie’s script.

The seventh Wrong Turn movie, a "reimagining" of the franchise titled simply Wrong Turn, stars Charlotte Vega, Adain Bradley, Bill Sage, Emma Dumont, Dylan McTee, Daisy Head, Tim DeZarn, and Matthew Modine.

In the latest installment, Vega plays Jen, who sets out to hike the Appalachian Trail with a group of friends. Despite warnings to stick to the trail, the hikers stray off course — and cross into land inhabited by The Foundation, a hidden community of mountain dwellers who use deadly means to protect their way of life. Suddenly under siege, Jen and her friends seem headed to the point of no return, unless Jen’s father (Matthew Modine) can reach them in time.

Wrong Turn is directed by Mike P. Nelson and written by franchise creator Alan B. McElroy. The production is distributed by Saban Films.

The film will premiere in theaters for one night only Jan. 26, 2021. Tickets for the premiere event will be available at Fathom Events and at movie theater box offices starting Jan. 8.