Vincent Price might be one of horror’s greatest icons, but not all of his movies were the easiest to make. Variety reports that VFX supervisor Michael Ellis is set to make his directorial debut with Tragedy Man: The Making of Michael Reeves, a folk horror film about the making of the Price-led movie Witchfinder General.
Witchfinder General was originally released in 1968, following Price as the real-life figure Matthew Hopkins, a lawyer who claimed to have been appointed the titular role during the English Civil War in a bid to rid the country of witches. Made for under a hundred thousand pounds, the folk horror film became a cult hit after its release, primarily due to director Michael Reeves’ premature death at 25, just nine months after the film was released.
Tragedy Man is based on an unpublished short story by film historian Richard Sheppard, who co-wrote the film’s screenplay with Justin Stanley. The film is set to star Nicholas Denton as Reeves, Tim Downie as Price, and Hugh Bonneville as producer Tony Tenser. Per Variety, the film’s synopsis is as follows:
Set against 1960s London and the haunted countryside of East Anglia, “Tragedy Man” follows the young Reeves as he stakes his burgeoning career on “Witchfinder General.” His financiers bring in Hollywood horror star Price for the lead role, a casting choice Reeves vehemently opposes, seeing the veteran actor’s theatrical style as everything he wants to leave behind. Price, meanwhile, is confronting his own fears of becoming obsolete as Hollywood changes around him.
Tragedy Man is produced by Scaedwe Films — co-founded by Stanley — and CrossBorder Films, with production set to begin sometime later this month. No other casting details have been revealed as of yet.
No release date has been set for Tragedy Man. Stay tuned to FANGORIA for more updates.
