How Hellraiser Star Doug Bradley Really Feels About Jamie Clayton's Pinhead
35 years after Clive Barker's "Hellraiser" first terrified audiences on the big screen, Hulu will open the Lament Configuration once more in its 2022 reboot starring "Sense8" actress Jamie Clayton as the legendary horror icon, Pinhead. There's been a handful of middling "Hellraiser" sequels over the years, but director David Bruckner is reimagining the classic franchise for a brand new era with a story from David S. Goyer, Ben Collins, and Luke Piotrowski (via IMDb). The project has been in development for a number of years, but it's finally heading to Hulu towards the end of 2022, and horror fans are understandably excited about it.
20th Century Studios recently released an incredibly brief teaser for the reboot, with Clayton's Pinhead standing behind the film's logo as it moves across the screen. Hopefully, a better look at the reboot is on its way soon — but until then, audiences will just have to be patient. Bruckner previously told SFX (via GamesRadar) that the reboot is trying to stay close to Barker's original book, "The Hellbound Heart." He explained, "All I'll say is that we are aiming to be as true as we can to the original material. 'The Hellbound Heart' is also a primary source of inspiration, as well as the original film. But then it is something of a small reimagining and we are currently working on it."
It'll be interesting to see how Clayton makes the role her own when actor Doug Bradley is so synonymous with the character, thanks to his bone-chilling performance. But the iconic star recently opened up about what he thinks of Clayton's casting.
Doug Bradley thinks Jamie Clayton's casting is intriguing
When speaking to Bloody Disgusting about the upcoming "Hellraiser" reboot, Doug Bradley explained that he's looking forward to seeing Jamie Clayton's take on Pinhead, calling it "an interesting piece of casting." The British star noted that they're still taking a fresh approach to the role because Jamie is a transgender actress. Bradley praised Clayton's performance in "Sense8," explaining, "I'm not familiar with her recent work, but there was a science fiction series on Netflix several years ago called 'Sense8,' which I was quite a fan of. Jamie was in that, and I really, really liked her performance in that."
Fans will remember that Clayton plays Nomi Marks in the sci-fi series from the Wachowski sisters, but Pinhead is a far cry away from the hacktivist blogger. Bradley went on to say that there are plenty of ways Clayton's version of the hell priest could be portrayed because femininity isn't defined by a single trait or personality.
"We say 'female Pinhead' like we know what that means, but there are a million shades of femininity. Where exactly are they going to go with that?" He added, "Everything about Hellraiser has always been transgressive. Everything, always, from start to finish. It's not a new idea in that sense, but I'm intrigued. I'm in the same position as all the rest of you, I guess, to see where that goes."
Thankfully, there isn't long to wait until Clayton's Pinhead rips into some new victims, as "Hellraiser" arrives on Hulu on October 7, 2022.