A Stranger Things Star Is Writing A Horror Film

It looks like a Stranger Things star is taking his talents and penning a horror movie. It would seem that he has plenty of experience here.

By Mark McKee | Published

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Thanks to Netflix’s Stranger Things, Finn Wolfhard is no stranger to the horror genre. He has become one of the fastest rising stars in Hollywood due to his performances in horror and horror-adjacent films. While he has been most known for his abilities in front of the camera, a new report says that he will also be stepping behind the camera to showcase new talents we have yet to see from the young actor. 

Deadline reports that Finn Wolfhard will follow up his latest run as Mike Wheeler on Stranger Things with a new horror-comedy that will be written and directed by him and Billy Bryk. The film’s plot is unknown as of now, but the title is Hell of a Summer. The pair will also be on screen as co-leads, along with Fred Hechinger of The White Lotus. The film received the green light from 30West, who are also financing Bill Skarsgard’s reboot of The Crow and a slew of other small projects. Hell of a Summer will be produced by Hechinger, Jason Bateman, and Michael Costigan of Aggregate Films.  

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STRANGER THINGS. (L to R) Eduardo Franco as Argyle, Noah Schnapp as Will Byers, Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, and Charlie Heaton as Jonathan in STRANGER THINGS. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022

The idea that Finn Wolfhard is directing a film isn’t something entirely new. The Duffer Brothers, creators of Stranger Things, posited that the young actor was on the path to directing in an earlier interview. When they were figuring out the direction they wanted to go for their series, Wolfhard had nailed the concept before they revealed their direction. Now that he has built a name for himself, he will take his talents to new levels and expand to new and different avenues. 

On top of Stranger Things, Wolfhard starred in both installments of Stephen King’s IT as Richie Tozier. His character, who was charming in his naive inappropriateness, was also played in an older version by the enigmatic Bill Hader. His most recent project found a lot of success when Jason Reitman’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife recaptured his father’s original. He has plenty of other projects for fans to look forward to as he will star in Jesse Eisenberg’s When You Finish Saving the World alongside Julianne Moore, Guillermo Del Toro’s stop-motion musical, Pinocchio, and The Legend of Ochi with Willem Defoe

Billy Bryk is no stranger to working with Wolfhard. While he missed out on working on Stranger Things with him, he did star alongside him in Ghostbusters: Afterlife and is featured in the upcoming When You Finish Saving the WorldHechinger has seen his star begin to rise with his runs on Fear StreetThe White Lotus, and Pam & Tommy

While we can thank Stranger Things for bringing us the immense talent of Finn Wolfhard, his new venture into writing and directing seems to be poised to bring together some of the best young talents in the business. If his humorous turns in Stephen King’s IT and Ghostbusters: Afterlife is any indication of what to expect, Hell of a Summer will be the horror-comedy to watch for in the next few years. Wolfhard has proven himself enough to go from up-and-comer to a highly anticipated star.