The upcoming reboot of The Grudge has added a horror icon to the cast, as Lin Shaye is announced as the latest addition to the film. Shaye is best known as ghost-busting psychic Elise Rainier in the Insidious films, and will be joining an already impressive line-up for the film that hopes to revive the American branch of the J-horror franchise.

The original US version of The Grudge was released in 2004, and was a remake of the Japanese supernatural saga started by Ju-on: The Grudge. Starring Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) it told the story of a rage-fuelled curse that causes victims to be ruthlessly hunted and killed by spectral entities. The film ended up making over $187M worldwide on a $10M budget, and was followed by two sequels. A reimagining of the franchise has been in development for some time and finally entered pre-production stages when director Nicolas Pesce was tapped to helm the film in an announcement last year. The confirmation then came that shooting would start in May of this year, which has led to a number of recent casting announcements.

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As reported by Variety, the latest addition to The Grudge family is the prolific genre actress Shaye. The details of the character she will be playing are not yet known. Despite a long and varied career in comedy and drama, Shaye has become something of a "scream queen" appearing in many horror films like the original A Nightmare on Elm Street, along with countless others including the recent Ouija movies.

But she has become most recognizable for her portrayal of the kindly and brave medium in all of the Insidious films. Her most recent appearance as the character was in Insidious: The Last Key, a prequel that explored Elise's past and her link to the ghostly realm of The Further. That film has currently grossed over $166M globally on a $10M budget, and looks likely to lead to more entries in the Insidious franchise.

Shaye is joining a very strong cast that already includes Andrea Riseborough, Demián Bichir, and John Cho. Producer Sam Raimi previously praised the script, which has been re-worked by Pesce, and claimed it will bring a fresh perspective to the well-worn tale. Riseborough is known to be playing a character who is a detective as well as a single mother, and this could provide the springboard for a more intense take on the expected hauntings. Cho has had recent demonic experiences in the TV series of The Exorcist, and Bichir has just finished playing a priest in the Conjuring-spinoff The Nun.

With Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions, Ghost House, and Good Universe all involved - having last collaborated on Don’t Breathe - the expectation is there for a solid experience and a successful reboot. With the genre-savvy cast and Pesce's previous talents for unsettling horror shown in The Eyes of my Mother, there's really no excuse for this not to work. With the current details it's difficult to guess if the terrifying spirits of Kayako and Toshio will reappear, but at least Shaye will be used to tackling the angry undead.

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Filming on The Grudge is scheduled to start in May. We'll bring you more updates as we get them.

Source: Variety