Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey horror crossover Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble is bringing together characters like Pooh, Bambi, Pinocchio, and Peter Pan from the Twisted Childhood Universe. The movie is set to begin filming in March.
While details about the story are still a secret, the slasher film will show the monsters teaming up to face survivors from previous movies.
The franchise’s first installment, Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, was met with a negative critical reception and a more mixed fan reception, though it turned a profit at the box office.
The movie’s quality was called into question, with criticisms directed at the script, acting, cinematography, and lack of humor; it also received five Golden Raspberry Awards. In response to this, Frake-Waterfield stated that he is determined to raise the standard with the future films in the franchise.
In March 2024, Jagged Edge Productions officially announced that the franchise will be titled The Twisted Childhood Universe, while also announcing a full slate of films, culminating in a cross-over movie. Below is the first concept art shared earlier:
Rhys Frake-Waterfield will direct Poohniverse, working on an original script he co-wrote with Scott Chambers. Both are also producing for Jagged Edge Productions. ITN Studios’ Stuart Alson and Nicole Holland are executive producers. The cast is expected to include Scott Chambers as Christopher Robin, Megan Placito as Wendy Darling, Roxanne Mckee as Xana, Lewis Santer as Tigger, and Martin Portlock as Peter Pan.
The 2023 film Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey made $7.7 million worldwide on a $100,000 budget. The team’s next projects, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare and Bambi: The Reckoning, are planned for U.S. theatrical releases in early 2025. Here’s what we know about the rest of the movies:
Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare(2025)
In November 2022, a horror movie centered around the titular character from Peter Pan and Wendy was announced as being in development; with Rhys Frake-Waterfield and Scott Jeffrey once again serving as producers.
Jeffrey was later revealed to be the director from a script he wrote, with the filmmaker stating that the movie will take inspiration from a combination of French cinema, High Tension and The Black Phone.
The plot will center around Wendy’s search for her brother Michael, who has been abducted by Peter Pan and Tinker Bell. Frake-Waterfield stated that Tinker Bell will be “heavily obese and recovering from drugs“, while Jeffrey stated the character is “hooked on heroin and convinced it’s Pixie Dust“. The film is set to be released in 2025.
Bambi: The Reckoning(2025)
In November 2022, a horror film centered around the titular character from Bambi, Life in the Woods was announced as being in development. It will be directed by Dan Allen, from a script written by Rhys Warrington. Rhys Frake-Waterfield and Scott Jeffrey will once again serve as producers.
The plot follows a woman named Xana and her son named Benji, who must fight to survive when they find themselves as prey to a mutated, grieving, killing machine of a deer following a car wreck.
Officially titled Bambi: The Reckoning, the movie will be developed by ITN Studios and Jagged Edge Productions. Jeffrey described the film as “an incredibly dark retelling of the 1928 story we all know and love. Finding inspiration from the design used in Netflix’s The Ritual, Bambi will be a vicious killing machine that lurks in the wilderness.” The film is set to be released in 2025.
Pinocchio: Unstrung(2025)
In February 2024, it was announced that a horror film centered around the titular character from The Adventures of Pinocchio was in development, while it was also revealed that additional characters from other childhood stories would be revealed as a part of the story.
Officially titled Pinocchio: Unstrung, with the release of the first promotional concept art, the plot and the filmmaking crew including the director and the writer were stated to be revealed at a later time. The movie is slated for a 2025 release.
The film will focus on James, the son of Geppetto, who meets Geppetto’s magical doll Pinocchio and introduces him to the outside world, but Pinocchio’s naïveté gets the better of him and he embarks on a murderous crusade to eliminate all things bad. In November 2024, Robert Englund was cast in the lead role, while Richard Brake was cast as Geppetto.
These movies became possible thanks to several well-known characters entering the public domain after their copyrights expired, including many popularized by Disney.
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