While we have yet to see just what happens to Art the Clown in Terrifier 4, the man behind the clown has already found his next major role. Variety reports that David Howard Thornton is joining the cast of the highly anticipated sequel Behind the Mask II: The Return of Leslie Vernon, which is set to begin production this fall.
According to Variety, Thornton will have a “key role” in the film, though details of what that role is have yet to be released. The sequel to the cult classic will once again be directed by Scott Glosserman from a script by David J. Stieve, with returning stars Nathan Baesel and Angela Goethals. The film’s description is as follows:
The sequel picks up in a horror landscape that has changed dramatically since Leslie first emerged, as the old rules of the genre collide with a new wave of modern slashers, viral killers, legacy sequels and blood-soaked icons built for the internet age.
“David is one of the defining faces of the modern slasher era,” Glosserman said to Variety. “If ‘Behind the Mask’ was about deconstructing the classic rules, then a sequel 20 years later has to reckon with what the genre has become. Bringing David into Leslie’s world lets us put the old guard and the new blood in direct conversation, which is exactly where this movie should live.”
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon was originally released in 2006, following a film crew documenting the titular serial killer, who models himself after classic horror movie slashers. The film featured several notable horror stars, including Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, and Poltergeist actress Zelda Rubenstein, and quickly became a cult classic.
After a crowdfunding campaign that raised over $400,000, Behind the Mask II is set to begin production sometime this fall, with producers Aaron B. Koontz, Cameron Burns, Adam F. Goldberg, Hans Rodionoff, and Carmelo Chimera.
No release date has been set for Behind the Mask II. Stay tuned to FANGORIA for more updates.
