Ethan Hawke’s horror thriller “The Black Phone” will film in Wilmington next month

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Don’t answer the phone. The next horror movie to dial up Wilmington stars Ethan Hawke and will begin production in February.

According to a news release from Blumhouse Productions, Hawke has joined the cast of “The Black Phone” and will reunite with director Scott Derrickson for the first time since the pair collaborated on the 2012 horror movie, “Sinister.”

Leaving this morning for North Carolina to shoot The Black Phone for @blumhouse and @UniversalPics . More than a year ago I gave @jason_blum the first look at the script, and the next day this gift and note were sitting on my kitchen counter. pic.twitter.com/3bSwMUHkk8
— N O S ⋊ Ɔ I ᴚ ᴚ Ǝ ᗡ ⊥ ⊥ O Ɔ S (@scottderrickson) January 4, 2021

“The Black Phone” was adapted by Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill and is based on a short story by Joe Hill.

A description of the short states that the main character, John Finney, is locked in a bloodstained basement and in the cellar is an antique telephone, long since disconnected, but rings at night with calls from the dead.

Crews will begin filming interior and exterior scenes at a home on Shirley Drive on Feb. 9. The movie will be using the working title of “Static.”

The production also is looking for extras with period cars. TW Cast and Recruit is looking for people 18 and over with cars from the 1960s to the 1980s.

Contact Julie@twcastandrecruit.com. Send photos of your car, along with your name, email address, phone number, and the make, model, and color of your car.

Blumhouse Productions is no stranger to the Port City.

“Halloween Kills” was shot at multiple locations throughout the Wilmington area in 2019 and was initially set to be released on Oct, 16, 2020, but was pushed back to Oct. 15, 2021, due to COVID-19.

It’s unclear where the final installment of the new Halloween trilogy, “Halloween Ends,” will film. A spokesperson for Blumhouse on Thursday said that a filming date and location remains undecided.