Guardians Of The Galaxy co-star Dave Bautista looks to be the next addition to the cast of Blumhouse’s big screen Fantasy Island adaptation. The Hollywood Reporter is stating that Bautista is in talks to join the project.
Bautista would join Michael Pena, who is stepping into the role of the mysterious Mr. Roarke made famous in the 1970s television series. Malcom McDowell also played the character in a short-lived 1990s revival. On the show, visitors would come to the island resort with the expectation that a fantasy of theirs would be fulfilled. Mr. Roarke would grant them their desires, but often unexpected consequences would follow.
According to the Reporter –
The feature project is described as being a tonal mix of Westworld meets Cabin in The Woods, centering on a group of contest winners who arrive at an island hotel to live out their dreams, only to find themselves trapped in nightmare scenarios… Bautista will play a former guest who is still on the island against his will and who wants to expose Roarke and the island’s magical secrets.
The film will be directed by Truth Or Dare helmer Jeff Ladlow and is being written by his Truth Or Dare scripters Chris Roach and Jillian Jacobs.
A key component of the show’s success was the rotating series of guest stars who would arrive each week on the island. It was a conceit similar to one used on the popular series The Love Boat, though Fantasy Island was tonally a bit darker than the frothy, romantic comedy of that other series. With Blumhouse, noted for their quality horror output, producing this new version of Fantasy Island and based on the description above, it seems that the film will lean hard into the original show’s darker edge.
