Absence of Christophe Gans and Roger Avary (2006–2010)
In December 2006, Silent Hill writer/director Christophe Gans announced that Sony had officially ordered another installment in the Silent Hill film series. Gans stated that he would like to return to the franchise, if his commitment to Onimusha did not bar him from participating. Gans also confirmed that Roger Avary would be back to write the script.[10]
In 2007, producer Don Carmody stated that a screenplay was slowly being developed and that "[Gans is] involved pretty heavily in another project right now" and would likely not return as director. As well, Avary said that he would not be returning to collaborate on the next film on the account that Gans would not be returning, either.[10] In September 2009, Sony Pictures announced that Roger Avary and producer Samuel Hadida were officially signed on the project and that filming would begin in 2010. Hadida stated that production would begin upon completion of Resident Evil: Afterlife. However, later that month, Roger Avary was sentenced to a 1-year jail term for vehicular manslaughter, and was unable to participate in the film's production.[11]
In November 2009, Carmody told Shock Till You Drop that Gans was unlikely to return for the sequel, and that they were going to make the sequel "more accessible to a wider audience". Carmody stated that the film would feature a character from the first movie who is now older, implying that Sharon Da Silva or Alessa Gillespie would be returning, although actress Jodelle Ferland announced that she had not been contacted for the role.[11]
In August 2010, Carmody said the sequel had "stalled" due to Avary's imprisonment, but that he still wanted to be involved with the film and had a basic outline for it.[11]
M. J. Bassett's involvement (2010–present)
In November 2010, it was announced that Lionsgate had begun pre-sales on the next installment and that M. J. Bassett would direct the film, titled Silent Hill: Revelation 3D. Bassett revealed she had written her own screenplay, replacing Roger Avary. She added that she would bring back as many of the core creative team as she could from the first film to keep its look and feel, but add "more darkness and fear into the mix as well".
On July 14, 2012, M. J. Bassett appeared at San Diego Comic-Con. She showed two clips from the movie. The first was a short clip showing the Mannequin Monster, and the second showed Vincent tied to an operating table surrounded by Nurses. A movie trailer was released later that month, and from then on, more TV spots, posters and promotional stills were released in anticipation of the film.
Direction
Bassett has stated that while Silent Hill 3 would have been the best game to adapt, Revelation is a sequel to the first film first and foremost, and still needed to make sense with what the first film had established, such as the mythology and relations between characters. People who watched the film expecting "Silent Hill 3: The Movie" would be disappointed in that it differed from the game in many places, as it took different directions in many areas. The film was supposed to be a sequel to the first film that used Silent Hill 3 as groundwork.
Despite this, there were supposed to be many nods to the games that only gamers would catch, and the way many scenes were shot in the film were supposed to be reminiscent of Silent Hill 3, such as the cinematography of the carousel scene.
In a 2018 podcast interview with The Movie Crypt, Bassett spoke about her feelings towards the film. She said it felt more like a collaboration and did not have complete control, but since she wrote and directed it, she admits many aspects of its failings are also hers. She felt like she had to satisfy either the gamers or the audience; it was impossible to do both. Shooting in 3D was a pain, and she felt obligated to claim it was a great movie for the press, but in the back of her mind, she did not wholeheartedly agree. She wished she had stood up for her vision of the movie and for the fans. She regretted trying to tie the game and film canons together, as it created contradictions and retcons. She apologized to everyone who did not like the movie.
Casting
Before filming began, Bassett was open to suggestions in casting the woman to play Heather, allowing fans to post the names of actresses on her blog that they believed could play her, provided that the actress could realistically portray an eighteen-year-old and had experience in other films.[12] Adelaide Clemens was eventually chosen for the role of Heather, though no one had suggested her. Bassett made another post asking for suggestions for Claudia's actress and some fans suggested Donna Burke, who had provided the voice and motion capture for the character in Silent Hill 3, but Bassett was disappointed by the suggestions, feeling it was not a "very imaginative selection", and removed the post.
Kit Harington acknowledged Vincent's character had been changed from the game version in order to give some leeway as a support character for Heather. Heather was somewhat less of a "smartass" to give her a more realistic personality. Bassett was interested in a character who shows "some genuine human responses to the terrible things she experiences."
Original cast, including Radha Mitchell, Sean Bean, Deborah Kara Unger, and Roberto Campanella were all contacted to reprise their characters, which they accepted. Bean admitted that he was confused with the name change.[13]
Filming
In March 2011, the production team began filming in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. Production was delayed when a freak snowstorm hit the set in Cambridge on March 23, 2011. On May 15, 2011, Bassett announced that filming had ended and was in post-production. It was eventually announced that the film would be released on October 26, 2012, by Open Road Films.
Principal photography began in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on 7 March 2011[14] and wrapped in May 2011,[14][15] with the 3D RED Epic camera used for the process.[16] Street and bridge scenes were shot in Galt from 21 to 26 March,[17]
Sound design and music
In 2009, video game artist Masahiro Ito, who participated in the development of multiple installments of the Silent Hill series of video games, was asked to design the creatures and the look of the "Otherworld" dimension featured in the film, but declined the offer because of other obligations.[21] Jeff Danna and Akira Yamaoka composed the film's soundtrack, through much of Yamaoka's contribution was made up of cues from the game series which were remixed by Dana. Yamaoka composed three new pieces of music for the film, including the official theme of the film "Silent Scream" which Mary Elizabeth McGlynn sung .[22]
The image song for the Japanese version is "Claymore" by Gackt.[23]
