Matthew Lillard will reportedly play the villain in Five Nights at Freddy’s and the actor “can’t wait” to see how it goes.
Production on Five Nights at Freddy’s, a feature film based on the popular video game franchise, is moving forward with several cast members signing on. It was recently reported that Matthew Lillard (Scream, Scooby-Doo) and Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games, Future Man) had boarded the project in main roles, and subsequent reports suggest the former will play the villain while the latter will be the protagonist. Taking to Twitter, Lillard celebrated his casting by noting how he was eager to see what happens with the video game adaptation.
“So this happened today,” Lillard wrote. “Can’t wait to see what happens next.”
After Lillard’s casting was initially announced, it was reported that he’d be playing William Afton, the primary villain of the video games. In the video game lore, William is the founder of Afton Robotics, the company behind the story’s murderous animatronics. He has been depicted in the game with a pixelized, purple design, sometimes referred to as the “Purple Man.” He plays a key role in the story that comes to light over the course of the game series.
Josh Hutcherson Reportedly Stars as Mike Schmidt
It’s also been reported that Hutcherson will play Mike Schmidt, the night shift security guard who players control in the video game. It is presumed that the movie adaptation will similarly follow Mike trying to avoid death at the hands of the animatronics who turn homicidal at night. Inspired by Chuck E. Cheese, the story is set in a similar restaurant called Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria, with animatronic animals singing and dancing to entertain children for birthday parties. Along with Freddy Fazbear, the gang includes Bonnie the Bunny and Chika the Chicken.
We can be sure that the animatronics will look great in the film, as Jim Henson’s Creature Shop has been brought on to bring Freddy and his pals to life for the film. Producer Jason Blum previously shared a sneak peek photo of the crew working on some of the props for Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria, though we have yet to get a real good look at the full-sized, finished models of the animatronic killers.
“It’s great to be working with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. Their experience and expertise with animatronics is absolutely killer!” Blum teased on Twitter.
The Five Nights at Freddy’s movie does not yet have a release date.
