Re-Animator star and legendary scream queen Barbara Crampton has finished shooting her latest horror project, appearing alongside wrestler-turned-actor CM Punk in an upcoming supernatural horror movie. Called Jakob’s Wife, the movie is also directed by Travis Stevens, who previously directed Punk in Girl on the Third Floor. Hailing from the production company AMP International, Jakob’s Wife was shot “under the radar” and recently wrapped filming in Canton, Mississippi. In addition to starring, Crampton also produced the project with Stevens, and AMP’s Bob Portal and Inderpal Singh.
Apart from directing, Stevens also co-wrote the screenplay with Mark Steensland and Kathy Charles. The plot “follows a woman in her late 50s who, after a chance encounter with ‘the Master’, discovers a new sense of power, a change that comes with a heavy toll.” As a part of the cast with Barbara Crampton and Punk, Jakob’s Wife also stars Larry Fessenden (Stake Land), Bonnie Aarons (The Nun), Robert Rusler (A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge), Sarah Lind (Edgemont), Mark Kelly (Fear the Walking Dead), and Nyisha Bell (Coming 2 America).
CM Punk’s casting in the movie also suggests that the former WWE Champion has found a new life for himself in the horror genre. Retiring as an active in-ring performer in WWE several years ago, Punk has since tried his hand at acting, most notably leading Stevens’ previous horror movie Girl on the Third Floor.
Now streaming on Netflix, the movie features Punk battling his personal demons as he tries to renovate a haunted house. The wrestling superstar also had a memorable role in the Soska Sisters’ remake of the classic David Cronenberg horror movie Rabid. Chances are, other horror roles are in the cards for Punk’s future as well.
For their part, many horror fans have been rooting for Punk to land a certain popular role previously made famous by B-movie legend Bruce Campbell. In particular, some fans have been calling for Punk to play a new version of Ash Williams in a potential remake of Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead, citing his acting abilities and physical similarities to Campbell as seen in Girl on the Third Floor. While Punk himself has yet to comment on the social media fan campaign to make the recasting happen, Campbell has offered his own response to the comments on Twitter, suggesting Punk would be better off as an original character with a similar name.
If you have yet to watch one of Punk’s movies, you can now stream Girl on the Third Floor on Netflix. Presumably, if you enjoy the movie, you may enjoy the next project to come from Punk and director Travis Stephens, so Jakob’s Wife would need to be on your radar. Punk’s inclusion aside, horror fans should also be able to appreciate genre favorites like Crampton starring in the movie alongside him. With filming in the can, let’s hope we can catch some sneak peek footage or a teaser trailer in the near future. This news comes to us from Deadline.