Ashley Bell got her start as the possessed lead in The Last Exorcism, but the budding horror star actually comes from comedy royalty as she trained with The Groundlings, the legendary improv group co-founded by her mother, Victoria Carroll. Now, after years of being scary, she’ll get to show her funny side in a new rom-com.
According to THR, Bell signed on to star in The Bounceback, a film about two former couples who rekindle their love for each other during a visit to their hometown. It’s a definite departure for the actress, as she just finished work on The Last Exorcism 2 in New Orleans, and will soon be seen in the post-apocalyptic thriller The Day when it releases on August 17.
Also in the cast are Michael Stahl-David (Cloverfield), Sara Paxton (Shark Night 3D) and Addison Timlin (Californication). Bryan Poyser, who wrote the script along with Steven Walters and David Shotwell, will direct when production on The Bounceback begins this month.
Speaking of The Last Exorcism, the Eli Roth-produced original racked up a nice $65m+ worldwide on a small budget of just under $2 million, so as mentioned above we’re certainly getting a sequel. With no official plot synopsis yet, Bloody Disgusting has rounded up the first details on the plot. Check it out below.
The sequel follows Nell (Bell) who, six months after the first film’s events, has move to a halfway house only to realize that the demon that has ruined her life is still after her! Without giving anything away, the sequel takes an interesting romantic approach that’s spun around Nell’s new boyfriend, Chris. A subplot is that Bell is also targeted by a group of rogue Reverends who mean to kill her. The twist is something never before seen in an exorcism film.
With all these similarly looking micro-budget horror films attempting to differentiate themselves, the “never before seen twist” has become a silly marketing tactic. But with the original film being better received that something like its brethren The Devil Inside, here’s hoping this could make a worthwhile franchise.
Are you excited to see Bell in something other than a horror film? Looking forward to a Last Exorcism sequel?