The horror universe of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey is set to expand in a manner reminiscent of the MCU, introducing a slew of iconic characters to the eerie realm.
Variety reports that Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, a low-budget slasher, is set to expand its universe into a crossover event titled Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble, mirroring the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Universe. Directed and written by Rhys Frake-Waterfield, the first horror film in the series premiered in 2023, with a sequel poised for release. However, the creators behind this unique take on the classic character have grander ambitions in mind.
Just like the MCU and DCU united numerous iconic comic book characters in epic crossovers like The Avengers, Justice League, or Suicide Squad, a similar phenomenon is set to unfold in the horror genre with a crossover involving beloved children’s characters.
Renowned horror collaborators Jagged Edge Productions and ITN Studios are embarking on an ambitious project that will see Winnie the Pooh teaming up with sinister versions of characters such as Bambi, Tinkerbell, Pinocchio, Peter Pan, Tigger, Piglet, The Mad Hatter, and Sleeping Beauty.
Planned for release in 2025, the official poster shows a murderous Winnie the Pooh riding a vicious Bambi, with plenty more famous characters reimagined in a dark horror story. “As horror fans, we would love an Avengers that is all villains,” explained actor-producer Scott Chambers, who leads Jagged Edge. “It’d have Freddy Krueger, Jason, Halloween, Scream, all of those. Obviously, that will never happen, but we can make it happen in our own little way, and that’s where this film has been born.”
Standalone films for characters within the Poohniverse are in the works.
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey will premiere a sequel on Mar. 26, 2024, but the other characters have more reimagined dark stories. The first Blood and Honey film was panned by critics. The film holds an almost absolutely abysmal Rotten Tomatoes rating of only 3%. However, it was considered a commercial success, making over $5.2 million worldwide from a $100,000 budget (via The Numbers).
Some of the characters who will join the Poohniverse will get standalone films before the crossover. Among them are Bambi: The Reckoning,Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare, and Pinocchio Unstrung. The films will also include Easter eggs and connections that will lead to the upcoming crossover. All of them will fall under Jagged Edge Productions, which has its own version of the MCU called the Twisted Childhood Universe.
The Poohniverse will have the murderous characters team up against the survivors from the previous films, with Chambers describing it as “carnage within the group” and “epic sequences of monster vs. monster.”
Chambers will reprise his role as Christopher Robin, Megan Plactio as Wendy Darling, Roxanne Mckee as Xana, and Lewis Santer as Tigger, with more actors to join the ambitious crossover.
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 will release in theaters on Mar. 26, 2024.
Source: Variety, The Numbers
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