Who is Josh Hutcherson? All about the protagonist of Five Nights at Freddy's

The highly anticipated Five Nights at Freddy's featuring Josh Hutcherson is about to release on October 23, 2023, in theaters worldwide and on Peacock. Five Nights at Freddy's is a classic American horror film promising creepy visuals and animatronic mascots. It is adapted from the cult-favorite video game by the same name.

Directed by Emma Tammi, the movie follows a troubled security guard at an abandoned gaming and pizza parlor. Things take a dark turn as he finds the link between disappearing children and the animatronic creatures. The movie, summarized by a contributor on IMDb, says:

"Mike Schmidt, a night guard at a local diner, becomes troubled after confronting the truth about the animatronic costumes that reside: they aren't just robots. They are alive. Will he be able to survive all five nights at this haunted diner? Or is something more sinister at play?" - Nate Laushway

Filming began on February 1, 2023, and wrapped up on April 3, 2023, after two years of rescheduling and delay. Josh Hutcherson plays Mike Schmidt in the Blumhouse production and will be taking the audience on an investigation that led to "the bite of ’87”.

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Josh Hutcherson explores the horror genre in Five Nights at Freddy's

Five Nights at Freddy's revolves around the protagonist Mike, played by Josh Hutcherson, who works at Freddy Fazbear’s pizza parlor on the night shift. The 30-year-old American actor-producer, is popularly known for his role as Peeta Mellark in the 2010 box office hit trilogy Hunger Games. The challenge is to strike a balance between honoring the source material and delivering a compelling performance, and Hutcherson, thus, seems to be capable of that given his portfolio.

Josh Hutcherson began appearing in small roles on television shows, commercials and films. He landed his first role in the pilot episode of House Blend in 2002. Soon after, he worked on multiple projects such as Miracle Dogs (2003), The Polar Express (2004), Little Manhattan (2005), Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005).

He landed the role of Peeta Mellark in Hunger Games, which won him critical acclaim and three MTV Movie Awards and a People's Choice Award. As a director, Hutcherson has delivered projects that include names like Detention (2011), The Forger (2012), and Escobar: Paradise Lost (2015).

Josh Hutcherson plays Billy in Burn (Image via Yale Productions/Jesse Korman)

Five Nights at Freddy's (2023) presents an exciting opportunity for Josh Hutcherson to diversify his acting career further and explore the horror genre. Alternatively, he has also worked as a voice actor, lending his voice to characters Nod and Markl in the movies Epic (2013) and Howl's Moving Castle (2005) respectively.

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Five Nights at Freddy's brings the tense atmosphere alive

Five Nights at Freddy's has been adapted from the video game developed by Scott Cawthon, who serves as the co-writer along with Seth Cuddeback and director, Emma Tammi. The first video game was released in 2014. The plan to work on a movie adaptation has been in the works since April 2015. However, the plan was put into perspective when producer Jason Blum agreed to the project in 2017.

• Josh Hutcherson as Mike Schmidt
• Elizabeth Lail as Vanessa Monroe
• Piper Rubio as Abby Schmidt
• Matthew Lillard as William Afton

Other actors include Kat Conner Sterling, Elizabeth Lail, Lucas Grant, Jessica Blackmore, Kevin Foster, Jess Weiss, Jade Kindar-Martin, Wyatt Parker, Christian Stokes, Jessica Blackmore, Ryan Reinike, and YouTuber CoryxKenshin.

Watch Five Nights at Freddy's as it hits the theaters on October 23, 2023.