The Grudge reboot is moving the franchise outside of Japan, an unusual step for the series.
In an interview with Gamespot, co-writer Jeff Buhler said the franchise would be moving to America for the reboot.
“The phenomenon of a grudge, which happens when someone dies in a violent rage, could happen anywhere,” Buhler said in the interview.
“So the idea was to take what we’ve seen happening in Japan, and ask what would happen if that cycle were to happen in our own backyard?,” Buhler continued. “We wanted to start a new cycle of ghosts in a completely new setting.”
The Grudge series is well-known for taking place, in large part, in Japan because the series is based on the Japanese horror film Ju-On: The Grudge. Instead, the new film will take place in America.
Sam Raimi is producing the reboot, which will star Oscar nominee Demián Bichir and Andrea Riseborough. Director Nicolas Pesce, who previously directed the horror film The Eyes of My Mother, will helm the reboot, which will hit theaters on January 3, 2020.
Michael Domanico is a freelance writer. Follow him on Twitter.