The star of SH isn't going to be the actors, or the script. It's going to be the visual effects department. Gans was wise to insist upon real actors in latex playing all of the monsters. I hope the new director isn't another CGI hack.
Effects may stir a superficial "Dude, that was so cool when..." after the film is over, but the emotional weight of a film is everything. The writing, the direction, the score, the cinematography, the acting, the mise-en-scène created by all of these elements. The Silent Hill games themselves are tolling emotional experiences. To me, the most emotional elements of the first film were Akira's songs. Cool looking monsters won't salvage a film for me, because that isn't what Silent Hill is about. I expect too much of the film maybe, but when every element of a brilliant production is
right there in the games - a substandard hour-and-a-half of horror entertainment doesn't cut it.
I, too, would like a standalone story for the sequel, but chances are they'll go for an adaptation of 3 or 2. We'll see. I'm hoping Gans sticks to his word, about overseeing the production of the second film.
"Blessed is the lion which becomes man when consumed by man; and cursed is the man whom the lion consumes, and the lion becomes man."
[size=84]The Gospel of Thomas, logion 7.[/size]