Director Chosen for HANSEL & GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS 2

A director is now in place to helm Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 2, the follow-up film to the 2013 Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton-starring feature adaptation of the enduring fairy tale.

According to The Tracking Board (via Bloody Disgusting), Paramount Pictures has set Bruno Aveillan to helm Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 2. This will mark the feature film debut of Aveillan, who takes the directing reigns vacated by Tommy Wirkola (Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead), the writer/director of the first film that followed the adult duo of Hansel and Gretel as they tracked down witches and fought evil. Wirkola wrote the screenplay for the sequel, but announced last September that he had decided to pass on directing Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 2 in favor of trying something different.

Michael Finch (Hitman: Agent 47, Predators) wrote the most recent version of the Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 2 script for Paramount, but Aveillan has another angle on the story and Paramount is supposedly looking for a writer to pen a new draft.

Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton are reportedly lined up to reprise their respective roles as witch-slaying siblings Hansel and Gretel, but no official announcements have been made. Plot details are currently unknown, though Hansel and Gretel will of course be at the center of the story.

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters producers Beau Flynn, Kevin Messick, Will Ferrell, and Adam McKay will return to finance the sequel. Overlooking the project are Ashley Brucks, Gabby Canton, and Elizabeth Raposo. Stay tuned to Daily Dead for more updates. In the meantime, what do you want to see happen in the Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters sequel?