For reasons we’re not yet quite sure of, there’s a new Winnie the Pooh live-action movie in the works. But instead of helping Christopher Robin, the cuddly bear has given up his loved jar of honey in favour of a machete. 

Disturbingly called Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, the first set of images of the movie is out with the sole purpose of ruining your childhood. As you would’ve guessed by now, the movie will not be released under the Disney banner, and instead made by an indie filmmaker Rhys Frake-Waterfield and stars Amber Doig-Thorne, Maria Taylor and Danielle Scott. 

While we don’t know what prompted the bear to go on a serial-killing spree yet, IMDb mentions that the film is a grim retelling of the Winnie the Pooh legend. So why aren’t Disney’s lawyers all over it? The classic story written by A.A Milne, alongside the famous illustrator E.H Shepard, just entered the public domain, and this allows anyone and everyone to have access to the anthropomorphic bear.

The movie seems to star a killer wearing a Winnie the Pooh mask, with a twisted version of Piglet by his side. Overall, the horror movie seems to be the typical cabin-in-the-woods slasher film, with characters dying a gruesome death one by one. 

Winnie the Pooh first shot into popularity back in 1926 with a picture book collection called ‘The House at Pooh Corner.’ The rights were then acquired by Walt Disney Productions, who started using the character in a collection of films and animated TV shows. By the ’60s, Pooh had become a household name. 

However, as time passed, the popularity of the bear started waning. The last live-action attempt came out in 2018 with Christopher Robin starring Ewan McGregor. The film received a lukewarm response from both critics and long time fans. 

Could it mean that this new adaption which spins the character on its head can actually work? We might have to wait until later this year to find out. 

(Category: Entertainment, Hollywood)