Dark Harvest is a Halloween horror novel written by Norman Partridge and published in 2006. Dark Harvest won the Bram Stoker award in 2006 making it Norman Partridge’s second novel to win the coveted horror award. The rights to the award-winning horror novel were first optioned by New Regency in 2018, but were sold to MGM in 2020. Earlier this year Deadline broke the news that Casey Likes and E’myri Crutchfield had been cast in the lead roles for the upcoming Dark Harvest adaptation.
The Dark Harvest film is set in 1962 and 1963 and tells the tale of a strange ritual that takes place on Halloween every year in a small, rural Midwestern town, The Run. During The Run all the teenage boys in town chase down the monster known as Sawtooth Jack and although many of the boys will die, the prize is worth the risk. The boy who kills the monster wins a new car and house for his family. This year Richie Shepard is gunning for the prize intent on following his brother, Jim’s, win the previous year. But during The Run, Richie will learn the long hidden disturbing truth about this ritual.
The Illuminerdi is excited to reveal that MGM is interested in Travis Fimmel (Vikings) for an antagonistic role in Dark Harvest. We have also learned new details about Casey Likes’ character Richie Shepard and E’myri Crutchfield’s character Kelly Harris.
NEW CHARACTER DETAILS FOR MGM’S DARK HARVEST
MGM is interested in Travis Fimmel for the role of Officer Jerry Ricks in the upcoming Dark Harvest. Officer Jerry Ricks is described as a bad cop who pretends to be one of the good ones. Ricks is a bully with a badge who has it out for Richie Shepard and always has. Ricks has repeatedly tried to bust Richie for petty offenses.
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Ricks is charged with enforcing the law on the night of The Run and at every turn he targets Richie in an attempt to make sure The Run will end with his favorite target laying on a slab. On the night of The Run Richie not only has to worry about chasing down and killing Sawtooth Jack, but waging a private war against Officer Ricks as well.
Travis Fimmel has played a multitude of characters during his career although he is known for his lead role of Ragnar Lothbrok in the first four seasons of Vikings. Dark Harvest would not be the first time he’d be playing a villain, but what would be so interesting about this role is while a monster is running around presumably killing the teenage boys of the town, Officer Ricks is actively working to get the protagonist killed.
And with Dark Harvest revealing hidden truths about The Run, Officer Ricks could have an even more sinister role than expected if he is in on the town’s secrets surrounding Sawtooth Jack. Should Fimmel take on the role he could bring an intimidating and menacing feel to the role making the character feel terrifying and corrupt. And with Officer Ricks, an adult, actively working to get a teenager killed by a monster this is a role that will be steeped in darkness.
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Richie Shepard, who will be played by Casey Likes in Dark Harvest, is described as a 16 year old who acts tougher than he truly is. Richie has the reputation of the “bad kid” as opposed to his golden boy brother and hero jock, Jim, the winner of The Run the previous year. Richie yearns to escape from the shadow of his brother and win The Run himself, but his growing relationship with Kelly, a fellow outcast, pushes him to question everything he thought he knew about his town, The Run, and his family.
Kelly Harris, who will be played by E’myri Crutchfield in Dark Harvest, is a 16-year-old orphan who lives with her aunt and works the ticket booth at the Guild Theater. Kelly longs to escape the small rural town and the inevitable dead-end existence she would fall into living there. And while girls are forbidden from participating in The Run, Kelly sees it as her only chance at escaping. Kelly partners with the town’s “bad kid”, Richie Shepard, so that she can take her chance at a one way ticket out of town, no matter the cost.
Dark Harvest is produced by Matt Tolmach and David Manpearl through Matt Talmoch Productions (Jumnaji, Venom). The Dark Harvest script is penned by Michael Gilio and will be directed by David Slade. Dark Harvest is set up to be an intriguing horror story with secrets, monsters, and the classically creepy setting of a small rural town in the Midwest on Halloween night.
Are you interested in the Dark Harvest film? Are you a fan of the original Dark Harvest novel? Do you want to see Travis Fimmel take on the role of Officer Jerry Ricks? Leave your thoughts in the comments below or on our social media and check back with The Illuminerdi for more Dark Harvest and horror news.
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