According to a new report, Josh Hutcherson won’t have any shortage of screen time in the upcoming theatrical/Peacock release, Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNAF).
Best known for his role as Peeta Mellark in The Hunger Games quadrilogy, Hutcherson is about to take on the leading role in FNAF as he plays Mike Schmidt, a newly-hired security guard at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.
His character will quickly find out about Freddy Fazbear’s immensely creepy animatronic animals, which come to life at night and will be out to make his experience at the restaurant a living hell.
Josh Hutcherson Gets Screentime Update for FNAF
Speaking at Blumhouse’s Blumfest 2023 during New York Comic-Con, Five Nights at Freddy’s director Emma Tammi shared an update on Josh Hutcherson’s screentime in the film.
The director confirmed that Hutcherson is "very close" to being in every scene in the film. Tammi made it clear that “this movie hangs on him” being that he's on screen for the vast majority of the near-2-hour runtime:
“Josh is almost... He's not in every scene, but it's very close [to every scene]. This movie hangs on him, and we knew that the character, Mike, was going to be make-or-break for this film, and we needed someone who felt as deeply invested in finding the authenticity in that character as bringing the authenticity of ‘FNAF’ to the movie.”
She also heaped praise onto young 10-year-old star Piper Rubio, who plays Hutcherson’s younger sister, reminiscing on how “their bond was so immediate” with one another as their connection “resonated on and off screen:”
“So, we were really building out character arcs that hadn't been explored in the same way in this film. And he was just diving deep every day, and had so much fun, too. The young actress, Piper Rubio, who plays his younger sister, is ten [years old] now, she was nine when we were shooting, and that's about the time when Josh started acting. And their bond was so immediate and really resonated on screen and off screen, so that was super special.”
How Will Josh Hutcherson Shine in FNAF?
Although there are some concerns rising about FNAF’s potential success, Josh Hutcherson seems ready to take on the responsibility of leading the way as the film’s top-billed name.
And with the horror reportedly running for just under two hours, he’ll have the opportunity to shine in this scary Halloween-themed outing as he plays the leading character in this unique video game adaptation.
The animatronics that Hutcherson will work with are sure to take plenty of the spotlight, although fans will look forward to seeing the story through Mike Schmidt’s eyes as the classic FNAF video game story is retold.
And even with the film only being controversially rated PG-13 instead of R, there are sure to be plenty of scary moments and thrills to be found as Freddy Fazbear’s restaurant is brought to life in all its spooky glory.
Five Nights at Freddy’s will debut in theaters and on Peacock on Friday, October 27.
