WIRE Buzz: James Wan's new horror film; Hulu's horror flick 'Wounds' trailer; more

Though he's never strayed from genre filmmaking, James Wan has spent much of the last several years of his directorial career away from his horror roots. Now, after taking on big-budget tentpoles like Furious 7 and Aquaman and taking some time in between to direct the sequel to The Conjuring, Wan is returning to original horror concepts for his next project. For the past few months Wan's been building a cast for his next flick, which includes Annabelle Wallis and George Young. Now the still-mysterious project has an official title.

Wan revealed via his Instagram this week that the new horror film has begun production, and that it will officially be titled Malignant, after earlier reports revealed a working title of "Silvercup." 

Wan co-wrote Malignant with his partner Ingrid Bisu (who recently appeared in The Nun), and while we still know very little about the project, the simple fact that Wan is back behind the camera for an original horror concept is enough to get fans excited. Malignant will be his first non-sequel horror film as director since The Conjuring in 2013, and he's taking this on rather than immediately diving back into the waters for an Aquaman sequel, so we're eager to see where this project takes his talents.

Malignant does not yet have an announced release date.

Fall is officially here (even if it doesn't yet feel like it in some parts of the country), which means 'tis the season for new horror films to start dropping on streaming services just in time for your Halloween viewing pleasure. Today, Hulu added to the 2019 scarefest with Wounds, the new film from writer/director Babak Anvari (Under the Shadow). This film, which drops on the streamer next month, boasts an all-star main cast, an intriguing concept, and a ton of creepy atmosphere, and it's all on display in the trailer. 

Wounds stars Armie Hammer as Will, a bartender who brings home an unclaimed smartphone from work one night after a bloody altercation in his New Orleans bar. When he looks through the phone, he finds disturbing videos that he swears his partner Carrie (Dakota Johnson) shouldn't see, but a Pandora's box of some kind has been opened. From there, Will begins spiraling as strange things start to happen all around him, roping Carrie and his friend Alicia (Zazie Beetz) into the terror along the way. We don't know much about where the film is going from there (as it should be for a horror release), but if the trailer's any indication, you probably shouldn't watch this film if you have a serious fear of roaches.

Wounds hits Hulu on October 18.

We've already got plenty of reasons to be intrigued by Disney's upcoming live-action 101 Dalmatians prequel Cruella. For one thing, Emma Stone is playing the title role, and for another we've been promised a 1980s-set film with a certain punk rock influence. Then there's the supporting cast, which already included Emma Thompson, Joel Fry, Paul Walter Houser, and Mark Strong. Now another rising star has joined the ensemble.

Kirby Howell-Baptiste is the latest co-star to join the film in a still-undisclosed role, according to The Hollywood Reporter. If you don't know Howell-Baptiste's name yet, you almost certainly know her face if you've been watching television lately. She's one of the stars of CBS All Access' Why Women Kill, and she's also recently been seen on hit shows like Killing Eve, The Good Place, Barry, and Season 4 of Veronica Mars. She's all over the place, and a role in an upcoming Disney project will only add to her rising stardom.

Cruella, directed by Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya) arrives in theaters May 28, 2021.