Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey release date, cast, trailer and latest news
Prepare for a journey into Hundred Acre Wood as you’ve never seen it before.
Oh, bother! UK cinemas will soon be welcoming a horror version of AA Milne’s beloved storybook bear embarking on a murderous rampage.
That’s right, folks, with copyright lapsed on the original books, Winnie the Pooh has been turned into a slasher movie directed by Rhys Frake-Waterfield and starring Craig David Dowsett as Winnie the Pooh, Chris Cordell as Piglet, and Nikolai Leon as Christopher Robin.
The first trailer for the film has been released showing Christopher's journey through the 100 Acre Wood he abandoned as a child.
He’s soon confronted by a bloodthirsty Pooh and Piglet who have been driven to homicidal madness after Christopher’s abandonment for adulthood.
The trailer also gives us a glimpse at the five women holidaying in the woods who are attacked by two creatures.
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In case it wasn't obvious from the trailer, Dowsett recently warned viewers that the horror take on the storybook bear is “not for the faint-hearted”.
Talking to UNILAD, Dowsett spoke about bagging the role: “When I first read the script I knew this was going to be special!” he said.
"Viewers can expect a serious storyline with lots of violence and gore, not for the faint-hearted."
Dowsett also teased a follow-up to the movie, adding: "The director had already spoken of his desire to run a sequel so only time will tell with that, but yes I would definitely be interested in being a part of it once again."
But for now, when can you see Blood and Honey? Read on for everything you need to know about Pooh Bear's foray into slasher films.
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey release date
Fathom Events released the slasher horror for a one-day event across hundreds of US cinemas on 15th February 2023.
Fans in the UK will get to watch the movie on its cinematic release date of 10th March.
Filming wrapped back in May 2022 and, at the time, Waterfield expressed his desire to speed up post production processes.
"Because of all the press and stuff, we’re just going to start expediting the edit and getting it through post production as fast as we can," he told Variety. "But also, making sure it’s still good. It’s gonna be a high priority."
Waterfield also disclosed to the publication that the film was shot in 10 days in England, near Ashdown Forest, which was the inspiration for Milne’s imaginary Hundred Acre Wood in the original Winnie the Pooh stories.
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey cast
Nikolai Leon (Exit, Demonic Christmas Tree) will portray the role of Christopher Robin.
Meanwhile, Craig David Dowsett (Plague Pits) will be lurking behind the mask of Winnie the Pooh, and Chris Cordell (I Killed Soloman Reid) will take on the Piglet role.
The main cast list is as follows:
- Nikolai Leon as Christopher Robin
- Craig David Dowsett as Winnie the Pooh
- Chris Chris Cordell as Piglet
- Amber Doig-Thorne as Alice
- Maria Taylor as Maria
- Danielle Ronald as Zoe
- May Kelly as Tina
- Natasha Tosini as Lara
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey plot
The plot appears to be as follows: after Christopher Robin outgrows his childhood toys and leaves Hundred Acre Wood to embark on adulthood, Winnie the Pooh and Piglet grow resentful in his absence, feasting on forest animals for sustenance and attacking a group of women in a holiday home while they plot their revenge.
When Christopher Robin finally returns, well, without giving too much away, bloodshed ensues.
The movie might have been created following the classic children’s book entrance into the public domain in January 2022, but Disney retains exclusive use of their interpretations of the teddy bear and his friends, meaning Waterfield had to change certain elements such as cladding Piglet in black and donning Pooh Bear in a lumberjack suit in the movie.
"We’ve tried to be extremely careful," Waterfield told Variety. "We knew there was this line between that, and we knew what their copyright was and what they’ve done. So we did as much as we could to make sure [the film] was only based on the 1926 version of it."
Another challenge Waterfield faced was balancing the line between horror and comedy. "When you try and do a film like this, and it’s a really wacky concept, it’s very easy to go down a route where nothing is scary and it’s just really ridiculous and really, like, stupid," he added. "And we wanted to go between the two.”
Blood and Honey trailer
A new trailer (above) has landed, showing Pooh and Piglet on a rampage in Hundred Acre Wood.
They're seen enacting all sorts of horrifying acts, including attacking a woman in a jacuzzi, stealing a girl's eye and... gorging on honey.
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