The cast of “The Cirque du Freak”
Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, based on the popular series of books by DARREN SHAN, is a fantasy-adventure about a teenager who unknowingly breaks a 200-year-old truce between two warring factions of vampires. Pulled into a fantastic life of misunderstood sideshow freaks and grotesque creatures of the night, one teen will vanish from the safety of a boring existence and fulfill his destiny in a place drawn from nightmares.
Darren Shan (CHRIS MASSOGLIA of The Hole) was like most kids in his suburban neighborhood. He hung out with his best friend, Steve (JOSH HUTCHERSON of Journey to the Center of the Earth), got decent grades and usually stayed out of trouble. But when he and his buddy stumble upon a traveling freak show, things begin to change inside Darren. That’s the exact moment when a vampire named Larten Crepsley (Oscar®-nominated actor JOHN C. REILLY of Chicago, Step Brothers) offers to turn him into something, well, bloodthirsty.
Newly undead, he joins the Cirque Du Freak, a touring sideshow filled with monstrous creatures from a Snake Boy (PATRICK FUGIT of Saved!) and a Wolfman to the bearded Madame Truska (Academy Award®-nominated actress SALMA HAYEK of Frida) and a gigantic barker named Mr. Tall (Oscar®-nominated actor KEN WATANABE of Memoirs of a Geisha). As Darren flexes his newfound powers in this dark world, he becomes a treasured pawn between the vampires and their deadlier counterparts, the vampaneze. And while trying to survive, one boy will struggle to keep their brewing war from devouring what’s left of his humanity.
Joining Massoglia as additional members of the Cirque Du Freak is a talented cast of supporting players, including ORLANDO JONES (Drumline) as the extremely thin Alexander Ribs; JANE KRAKOWSKI (television’s 30 Rock) as the regenerative Corma Limbs; FRANKIE FAISON (Meet the Browns) as gastronomique Rhamus Twobellies, JESSICA CARLSON (The Life Before Her Eyes) as the prehensile-tailed Rebecca; and KRISTEN SCHAAL (television’s The Flight of the Conchords) as the aptly-named Gertha Teeth.
Out to start a war with the vampires are RAY STEVENSON (television’s Rome) as the terrifying vampaneze soldier Murlaugh and Tony Award-winning performer MICHAEL CERVERIS (television’s Fringe) as the manipulative leader of the vampaneze, the corpulent Mr. Tiny. Trying to mediate between the two camps is two-time Oscar®-nominated performer WILLEM DAFOE (Spider-Man series) as vampire Gavner Purl.
The fantasy-adventure is directed by Academy Award®-nominated PAUL WEITZ (About a Boy), who wrote the screenplay with BRIAN HELGELAND (L.A. Confidential) and produces alongside LAUREN SHULER DONNER (X-Men series), EWAN LESLIE (Hotel for Dogs) and ANDREW MIANO (Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist).
CIRQUE DU FREAK: The Vampire’s Assistant is released and distributed by United International Pictures thru Solar Entertainment Corp. In Cinemas 27 January 2010 (Wednesday)
MTRCB Rating: PG-13