Sony Pictures has revealed the first trailer for the upcoming Fantasy Island movie. This serves as something of a modern update to the classic 70s/80s TV series of the same name. Though, in this case, the filmmakers have decided to give the show something of a twisted, horror-tinged update, which might surprise fans of the original ABC series who are just stumbling on this trailer. In any event, this isn’t business as usual on this otherwise lovely island getaway.
The trailer kicks off with Lucy Hale getting into a mysterious elevator, with some soothing voiceover provided by Michael Pe&ña. It’s promised that the life one has always dreamt of is hiding just behind those doors. We then see gorgeous shots of the seemingly tranquil and lovely island where “anything and everything is possible.” Though, rather conveniently (or inconveniently depending on how one wants to look at it) there is no cellphone service. Things get rather twisted after these fantasies start becoming reality, with the whole thing serving as a rather twisted play on the old “be careful what you wish for” adage.
This first look trailer arrives shortly after we got a Fantasy Island poster and synopsis. Sony, who partnered with low-budget horror maestros Blumhouse Productions on the big screen adaptation, isn’t shying away from the horror angle on this one the marketing, as one of the taglines revealed with the trailer is “Screams come true.” Blumhouse has largely made its own way, producing franchises such as The Purge and Paranormal Activity. But they’ve been exploring pre-existing IP more as of late, with last year’s Halloween going on to become a huge success, for example. Jeff Wadlow (Truth or Dare) is in the director’s chair for this one. He co-wrote the screenplay alongside Chris Roach and Jillian Jacobs
Fantasy Island centers on the enigmatic Mr. Roarke (Michael Pena) who makes the deepest desires of his lucky guests come true at a luxurious, though remote, tropical resort. However, when the fantasies devolve into nightmares, the guests are forced to solve the island’s mystery in order to escape with their lives. The cast includes Maggie Q (Live Free or Die Hard), Lucy Hale (Truth or Dare), Austin Stowell (Whiplash), Portia Doubleday (Her), Jimmy O. Yang (Silicon Valley), Ryan Hansen (Veronica Mars) and Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy). At one point, Dave Bautista was attached to Fantasy Island, but that casting didn’t work out.
The original Fantasy Island TV series aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The show ran for sevens seasons, totaling 152 episodes, as well as the original two made-for-TV movies. Reboots and revivals of classic TV shows are all the rage right now in Hollywood, but this is certainly one of the more interesting projects of that ilk coming down the pipeline. Fantasy Island is set to hit theaters on February 14, 2020. On that date, it will square off against The King’s Man, Sonic the Hedgehog, making for a rather interesting and crowded frame at the box office. Be sure to check out the trailer for yourself from the Sony Pictures Entertainment YouTube channel.
