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Fresh off a Golden Globe nomination for Presumed Innocent, Jake Gyllenhaal has set his sights on his next project. The acclaimed actor is set to lead an upcoming thriller about a heart surgeon performing an operation in D.C., who is unknowingly led into a criminal plot only he can stop in order to save the nation. For those who enjoyed Carry-On and Olympus Has Fallen, this film might just be right up their alley.

Deadline reports that Jake Gyllenhaal is in talks to lead and produce Code Black, an upcoming political thriller based on a short story by Harrison Query (Heads of State), who is also writing the screenplay. Amazon MGM Studios has acquired the upcoming project, which currently does not have a theatrical or streaming release date. A director is not attached to the project yet, but it is said that Amazon paid a pretty penny for the film rights,...

Jake Gyllenhaal is to star in Code Black.The 44-year-old actor's Nine Stories are to develop the political thriller, which is based on a new short story by Harrison Query, as a starring vehicle for Jake, with the film's rights secured by Amazon MGM Studios as part of their first-look deal with the company, Deadline reports.Amazon MGM secured the rights for a guaranteed seven-figure sum, in what is believed to be one of the biggest deals of all times for a short story.Harrison himself will adapt the tale for the big screen.Code Black will see Jake play the US' top heart surgeon, who is flown to Washington D.C. to carry out a high-stakes operation, only to be embroiled in a trap that he needs to work his way out of to stop a plot that threatens both his family and the country.As well as Jake and Nine Stories' Josh McLaughlin,...

Jake Gyllenhaal and Amazon MGM Studios are making another movie together. After starring in the studio's Road House remake, Gyllenhaal is in talks to star in the political thriller Code Black.

According to Deadline, Amazon has acquired the film rights to "Code Black," a new short story by Harrison Query, for "seven figures guaranteed," in what is believed to be one of the biggest short story deals of all time. Query will adapt his short story for the big screen. This marks the second major sale for the writer this year after A24 scooped up his crime drama series Trigger Point, which has Rebel Ridge filmmaker Jeremy Saulnier on board as a director and executive producer.

Gyllenhaal's Nine Stories production company will develop the political thriller under its first-look deal with Amazon MGM Studios. In addition to Gyllenhaal and Josh McLaughlin for Nine Stories, producers in talks to join Code Black...

After wrapping production for Guy Ritchie’s In the Grey and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s dark romance musical The Bride, Jake Gyllenhaal is ready to slink back into the shadows for Code Black, an upcoming political thriller at Amazon MGM Studios, based on a short story by Harrison Query. The project bears a significant dollar sign as Deadline says the studio acquired the rights to Query’s story for seven figures.

In Code Black, the country’s top heart surgeon is flown to D.C. to perform a high-stakes operation, finding himself led into a trap where his guile and genius become the only way to stop a plot that threatens his family and the nation.

12:01 Films’ Scott Glassgold brought Code Black to Jake Gyllenhaal’s Nine Stories banner, with plans to develop the feature as a starring vehicle for Gyllenhaal. Josh McLaughlin will produce alongside Gyllenhaal through Nine Stories,...

Exclusive: In a competitive situation, Amazon MGM Studios has secured film rights to “Code Black,” a new short story by Harrison Query, for seven figures guaranteed, sources tell Deadline. The deal is believed to be one of the biggest of all time for a short story.

Scott Glassgold of 12:01 Films brought the package into Jake Gyllenhaal’s Nine Stories, which will develop the political thriller as a starring vehicle for the Oscar nominee, under its first-look deal with the studio.

In Code Black, the country’s top heart surgeon is flown to D.C. to perform a high-stakes operation, finding himself led into a trap where his guile and genius become the only way to stop a plot that threatens both his family and the nation.

In addition to Gyllenhaal and Josh McLaughlin for Nine Stories, producers in talks include Lynn Harris and Matt Reeves for 6th & Idaho, and...

Exclusive: In a seven-way bidding war, A24 has landed landed Trigger Point, a drama series spec by writer Harrison Query (JonBenet). Jeremy Saulnier (Rebel Ridge) is attached to direct and executive produce the project, which will be executive produced by former Fifth Season Head of TV Joe Hipps under his exclusive deal at A24.

Hipps has recruited fellow Fifth Season TV executives Patrick McDonald and Katie Giarla to join him at his new company, Cut To. McDonald also will executive produce Trigger Point, with Katie Giarla co-executive producing.

The plot has been kept under wraps; the project is a crime drama, sources said.

Pegged at around $500,000, this may be the biggest TV spec sale so far this year. The goal is to attach talent before taking the project out to platforms, with big-name actors currently circling.

Query is the co-creator and executive producer of the upcoming JonBenet limited series for Paramount+ & 101 Studios.

It director Andy Muschietti is attached to helm Drift, based on an unpublished short story by Ben Queen and Jason Shuman (“Acapulco”).

The grounded science fiction film is described as “Gravity meets Arrival.”

Deadline reports that it was on the market for less than 24 hours, inciting a bidding war in which Skydance came out on top. It sold for around $2 million against higher if the movie gets made.

In the 38-page story, when his estranged son vanishes during a space mission, a once-legendary, now fallen from grace shuttle commander is pulled into a high-stakes hostage exchange in space to get his boy back from captors who are not from Earth.

Queen and Shuman, who made a splash last year with the sale of their Cola Wars pitch to Sony with Judd Apatow on board to direct, will pen the script.

Andy & Barbara Muschietti’s Double Dream producing alongside Scott Glassgold’s 12:01 Films.

Exclusive: Skydance won a weekend auction for Drift, an unpublished short story by Ben Queen & Jason Shuman that has It! helmer Andy Muschietti attached to direct. Deadline hears that the project sold for around $2 million against higher if the movie gets made. Andy & Barbara Muschietti’s Double Dream and Scott Glassgold’s 12:01 Film’s will produce.

The 38-page short story has all the makings of a big sci-fi mission film, and numerous other bids came in with other creative attachments. When his estranged son vanishes during a space mission, a once-legendary, now fallen from grace shuttle commander is pulled into a high-stakes hostage exchange in space to get his boy back from captors who are not from Earth. The comp is Gravity meets Arrival.

Queen & Shuman will be adapting their own short story which was on the market for less than 24 hours before selling. Skydance jumped into action quickly...

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson decided to hustle for the muscle as the producer of a feature film adaptation of Ripped, a short story by Joe Ballarini, as part of Seven Bucks Productions' first-look deal with The Walt Disney Company. According to The Hollywood Reporter, 20th Century Studios has acquired the rights to the movie, which will be produced by Seven Bucks' Johnson, Dany Garcia, and Hiram Garcia, as well as 12:01's Scott Glassgold, who launched his company in December with the aim of identifying short stories to bring to the screen.

Despite Johnson's physique, the actor is not currently attached to star in Ripped, though there are no casting details at this early stage, so anything could happen. Whoever ends up landing the lead role in the movie will be playing "an insecure man who, in anticipation of his wedding day, enters a hardcore underground training facility led by a magnetic fitness guru,...

In a pre-emptive purchase, 20th Century Studios has muscled in on the rights to Ripped, a short story by Joe Ballarini for an adaptation to be produced by Seven Bucks and 12:01 Films.

Seven Bucks’ Dany Garcia, Dwayne Johnson, and Hiram Garcia, as well as 12:01’s Scott Glassgold are the gym rats, um, producers, on this one.

While Johnson is not currently attached to star in Ripped, there does seem to be a character for which he could go beast mode. The logline concerns an insecure man who, in anticipation of his wedding day, enters a hardcore underground training facility led by a magnetic fitness guru, who commands cult like devotion with the promise of peak performance at any cost.

Ballarini is set to adapt his short story. Separately, the writer has landed a deal with Simon & Schuster/Atria new horror imprint 12:01 Books to expand the short story into a novel.

Exclusive: The Riverdale star is attached to star and will produce under her Small Victory’s first look deal at Amazon MGM Studios, Fake Wedding.

The project, based on Ali and Anthony Garland’s short story, is currently being developed with the twosome penning the screenplay. Fake Wedding follows two broke singles who throw a fake wedding to cash in on the registry and the very real problems the make-believe couple encounters. Scott Glassgold’s 12:01 Films assembled the project and is producing. Verve held the auction and sold the project in the low six figures.

Amazon MGM Studios is becoming quite the house of rom-coms. Recently their Reese Witherspoon-Will Ferrell movie You’re Cordially Invited amassed 827M viewing minutes within its first few days of availability on Prime, putting it at No. 6 on Nielsen’s overall Top 10. The pic debuted on the streamer on Jan. 30. Amazon MGM...

Exclusive: In the first major sale of the year, Lionsgate has pre-emptively purchased the big concept earthquake short story After Shock for a sum in the mid-six-figure purchase-price range. At the center of all this is Brandon Sklenar, poised to headline movies after a breakout turn in It Ends With Us and the imminent second season of Taylor Sheridan’s 1923, in which he plays Spencer Dutton.

Four suitors chased the After Shock deal with different actors attached and the deal closed within 24 hours of when Verve put it in the marketplace. Lionsgate insiders claim the number was lower.

The 35-page short story written by Aaron Jayh will be produced by Todd Lieberman and Alex Young for Hidden Pictures and Scott Glassgold for his newly launched film banner 12:01 Films. Sklenar is also expected to be involved in a producing capacity.

The logline for After Shock is being kept under wraps...

Producer Scott Glassgold has launched 12:01 Films, a production company which aims to identify, grow and produce creator-driven IP, primarily through short stories as the foundational launching point.

Verve, which represents Glassgold, helped establish the new production company. Over the last two years, Verve and Glassgold have closed 19 short story sales, ushering in a short story IP boom that 12:01 intends to remain at the forefront of.

That boom, Glassgold says, began with “My Wife and I Bought a Ranch” by Matt and Harrison Query. “It felt like this amazingly fresh, unique genre piece. And I knew immediately that there was a place in it for film and hopefully beyond.” He showed the Reddit short story to Verve’s David Boxerbaum and Adam Levine, who shared his enthusiasm. Things moved fast from there.

“This was on a Tuesday — I’m being literal. By Friday, the short story went into a...

Earlier this week, New Line Cinema unveiled a teaser trailer for the sci-fi thriller Companion, which is coming our way from writer/director Drew Hancock and the team behind the 2022 horror hit Barbarian. Now, The Hollywood Reporter has learned that Hancock has signed on to write and direct a supernatural horror film called My Wife and I Bought a Ranch for Amazon MGM Studios.

My Wife and I Bought a Ranch is based on a short story by Matt Query that first appeared on Reddit. Working with his brother Harrison, Query later expanded the story to novel length, and the novel was published with the title Old Country. Hancock’s adaptation will follow a couple who move into their dream home in Idaho only to discover that a malevolent spirit inhabits their valley. This is the second time we’ve heard of a Query novel adaptation this year, as Pet Sematary: Bloodlines...

While we wait for his debut feature Companion next year, The Hollywood Reporter lets us know that director Drew Hancock has already set up a new movie with Amazon MGM Studios.

Hancock will write and direct supernatural horror movie My Wife and I Bought a Ranch.

THR reports, “The project unites some heavy hitters, and some big horror names, on the producing side. Producers include 21 Laps, the banner run by Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen and Dan Levine, as well as James Wan and Michael Clear’s Atomic Monster. Also producing is Scott Glassgold of Ground Control, which counts this year’s surprise hit Tarot amongst its credits.”

The upcoming horror movie “follows a couple who move into their dream home in Idaho only to discover that a malevolent spirit inhabits their valley.”

My Wife and I Bought a Ranch is based on a short story written by Matt Query, which...

Drew Hancock, whose upcoming directorial debut Companion is already generating hot buzz months before its release, has come aboard to write and direct My Wife and I Bought a Ranch, a supernatural horror feature in development at Amazon MGM Studios.

The project unites some heavy hitters, and some big horror names, on the producing side. Producers include 21 Laps, the banner run by Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen and Dan Levine, as well as James Wan and Michael Clear’s Atomic Monster. Also producing is Scott Glassgold of Ground Control, which counts this year’s surprise hit Tarot among its credits.

Ranch follows a couple who move into their dream home in Idaho, only to discover that a malevolent spirit inhabits their valley.

It is based on a short story by Matt Query that first appeared on Reddit and was later published as a novel, co-written with his brother Harrison, by Grand Central Publishing titled Old Country.

Paramount Pictures is in the process of turning the horror thriller novel Wilderness Reform into a movie, and Knock at the Cabin scribes Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman have signed on to co-write the screenplay. More on this upcoming horror movie below.

It's based on the 2024 book of the same name by the writing brother duo Harrison and Matt Query. Lindsey Anderson Beer (Pet Sematary: Bloodline) will produce the film through her Lab Brew production banner and her first-look deal with Paramount Pictures. Scott Glassgold (Tarot) will also produce via his Ground Control production company.

The movie takes place at a wilderness camp for troubled teens and centers around a 13-year-old boy named Ben, who is sent there for a reform program. But upon his arrival, he notices that something isn't quite right about the camp and its employees. The camp counselors' happy-go-lucky attitudes seem fake, leading him to believe...

The writing duo of Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman received screenplay credit alongside director M. Night Shyamalan on the film Knock at the Cabin, which was an adaptation of the Paul Tremblay book The Cabin at the End of the World. Now The Hollywood Reporter has broken the news that Desmond and Sherman are set to write to write the script for a horror thriller called Wilderness Reform, which is being produced by Pet Sematary: Bloodlines director Lindsey Anderson Beer and is based on a novel written by Harrison Query and Matt Query.

Wilderness Reform is set up at Paramount Pictures. Beer is producing the film through her Lab Brew production company, with the project being part of her first-look deal with Paramount. Scott Glassgold is also producing through his company Ground Control.

The novel by the Querys is said to have “shades of classic Stephen King stories, dealing with themes of loss of innocence.

Paramount Pictures is adapting Harrison Query and Matt Query‘s coming-of-age horror thriller novel Wilderness Reform, and they’ve enlisted the writing duo behind last year’s Knock at the Cabin to pen the adaptation, per THR.

Wilderness Reform will be penned by Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman, the screenwriters of M. Night Shyamalan‘s 2023 apocalyptic thriller, and produced by Lindsey Anderson Beer, who wrote and made her feature directorial debut with the horror movie Pet Sematary: Bloodline for the studio last year, through her Lab Brew production company as part of her first-look deal with Paramount.

The plot is “set in a wilderness camp for troubled teens and tells of a 13-year-old boy named Ben who is sent there as part of a reform program. Although the counselors are overly happy, a sinister current runs through the place. The boys Ben befriends seem to have unique skills, which is lucky,...

Released in theaters on May 3, 2024, Tarot was a sleeper hit at the box office. Now, as of Aug. 1, the horror movie is available for subscribers to stream on Netflix.

With a low budget of around $8 million, the film grossed $49 million worldwide, making Tarot a big financial success. Its haul of nearly $50 million at the global box office is higher than other notable horror films of recent years like Abigail ($42 million), Thanksgiving ($46 million), and Barbarian ($45 million). Tarot was released on DVD and Blu-ray in July for the physical media collectors, and its arrival on Netflix will see the movie reach a wider audience following its successful run in theaters.

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Tarot is written and directed by Spenser Cohen and Anna Halberg.

Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman, the writing team behind the M. Night Shyamalan thriller Knock at the Cabin, have been tapped to adapt Paramount Pictures’ coming-of-age horror thriller Wilderness Reform, based on the novel of the same name written by Harrison Query and Matt Query.

Lindsey Anderson Beer, who wrote and made her feature directorial debut with the horror movie Pet Sematary: Bloodline for the studio last year, is producing the feature through her Lab Brew production company as part of her first-look deal with Paramount.

Also producing is Scott Glassgold through his production company Ground Control.

The story is set in a wilderness camp for troubled teens and tells of a 13-year-old boy named Ben who is sent there as part of a reform program. Although the counselors are overly happy, a sinister current runs through the place. The boys Ben befriends seem to have unique skills, which is lucky,...

Tarot is heading to Blu-ray and DVD. After becoming a sleeper hit in theaters, the horror movie is getting physical media copies in July.

Per Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Tarot will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on July 9, 2024. This follows the film hitting theaters on May 3, 2024. The movie has since earned more than $47 million worldwide against a budget of $8 million, becoming a big financial success. The total is also higher than other hit horror films of recent years like like Abigail ($42 million), Thanksgiving ($46 million), and Barbarian ($45 million).

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The synopsis for Tarot reads, "When a group of friends recklessly violates the sacred rule of Tarot readings never use...

It has not been a particularly great year for horror movies theatrically. 2024 has been, to put it mildly, pretty rough at the box office overall, with the summer season suffering one disappointment after another. Smaller movies like "In a Violent Nature" are finding success right now, but Hollywood has yet to have a true horror movie breakout hit this year. However, amidst the rubble there is a pretty impressive success story in the form of "Tarot."

Released by Sony on May 3 right alongside Universal's splashy blockbuster "The Fall Guy" to kick off the summer season, "Tarot" opened to an unassuming $6.5 million, placing number four on the charts that weekend. That's not exactly a blockbuster debut, to put it lightly. But the studio was thrifty with this one, making it for just $8.5 million. More importantly, they were also very thrifty and targeted with the marketing spend, which has allowed the...

Earlier this month, Sony / Screen Gems sent a horror movie called Tarot (which was formerly going by the title Horrorscope) out to theatres, and it has racked up over $37 million at the global box office. If you didn’t catch Tarot on the big screen (read our review Here), you now have the chance to watch it in the comfort of your own home, as it has received a digital release today! The film is available for rent on Amazon for the price of $9.99, or it can be purchased for $14.99.

Best known for playing Peter Parker’s best friend Ned in the recent Spider-Man movies, Jacob Batalon plays the title character in the horror comedy Syfy / Hulu / Amazon series Reginald the Vampire, and also has a lead role in Tarot. He’s joined in the cast by Avantika (Mean Girls), Adain Bradley (Wrong Turn: The Foundation), Humberly González (Ginny & Georgia...

Exclusive: Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee’s Thunder Road (John Wick) is partnering with longtime Screen Gems executive Scott Strauss to launch Badlands.

Backed by Andrew Schwartzberg and Jon Shiffman’s Renegade Capital, the independent genre label will feature development and co-fi funds and plans to make two to three films per year.

First up for the new venture will be Arachnid, starring Matilda Lutz. Written by Jayson Rothwell (Underworld: Blood Wars) and directed by Ángel Gómez (Voces), the spider thriller is due to begin filming this July in Madrid. Altitude Film Sales will introduce the film to buyers in Cannes next week, with CAA Media Finance handling domestic rights.

Rothwell, Schwartzberg, Shiffman, Peter Welter, Alexandra Milchan, and Josh Weinstock are part of the Arachnid producing team.

Lutz is best known for genre projects including Revenge, Reptile and the upcoming films Magpie and Red Sonja, in which she has the title role.

Originally titled Horrorscope, Screen Gems is getting set to unleash Tarot in theaters this coming May, and the film has just received its official rating from the MPA this morning.

Tarot has been rated “PG-13” for “Horror violence, terror, bloody images, some strong language and drug content.” You can watch the previously released trailer down below.

The film comes exclusively to movie theaters on May 3, 2024.

When a group of friends recklessly violates the sacred rule of Tarot readings – never use someone else’s deck – they unknowingly unleash an unspeakable evil trapped within the cursed cards in the upcoming Screen Gems horror movie Tarot. One by one, they come face to face with fate and end up in a race against death to escape the future foretold in their readings.

This one looks like a fairly generic teen horror movie, but the concept could at least allow for a fun array...

In the early days of January, Universal Pictures closed the first major Hollywood deal of 2024 by pre-emptively purchasing the short story package Long Lost, with Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners producing alongside Simon Kinberg and Audrey Chon of Genre Pictures, as well as Scott Glassgold of Ground Control Entertainment. Colin Bannon, who previously wrote and directed the 2009 comedy Love Conquers Paul, is on board to write the screenplay adaptation of his own 50 page short story, which is said to be “in the vein of What Lies Beneath and Rosemary’s Baby“. Now Deadline reports that Universal has scored another Colin Bannon deal, pre-emptively purchasing his short story thriller package Don’t Look, with Janelle Monáe in talks to star and M3GAN, Malignant, and The Nun 2 writer Akela Cooper writing the screenplay, based on an unpublished Bannon short story.

How does the maker of a little-seen indie from 15 years ago land deals like this?...

Akela Cooper (M3GAN, Malignant, The Nun 2) has been set to adapt the screenplay for a new Universal horror movie based on a Colin Bannon-penned short story, Don’t Look. Per Deadline, the mysterious new horror film will star Janelle Monáe (Glass Onion, Antebellum).

Don’t Look is based on Colin Bannon’s unpublished short story, giving us not a single clue in terms of plot, and the logline for the Universal feature remains under wraps at this time.

Bannon is on a hot streak. Last month, the writer made a Universal deal for his horror short story Long Lost, produced by Spielberg’s Amblin Partners, Simon Kinberg and Audrey Chon for Genre Pictures, Scott Glassgold, and his Ground Control Entertainment. That feature film adaptation is said to be “In the vein of What Lies Beneath and Rosemary’s Baby, telling the story of a recently married woman whose life is...

Exclusive: Universal has pre-emptively purchased the short story thriller package Don’t Look, with Janelle Monáe in talks to star.

Akela Cooper is set to adapt the screenplay based on the short story by Colin Bannon.

Monáe is in talks to produce through her Wondaland Pictures’ first-look deal with Universal Pictures, along with Scott Glassgold’s Ground Control. They are keeping the logline under wraps, based on Bannon’s unpublished short story.

Bannon is fresh from making a Universal deal for his horror short story Long Lost, produced by Steven Spielberg, Simon Kinberg and Glassgold. Glassgold and Cooper teamed on the short story sale It’s Over to Sony Pictures, with Glassgold and Roy Lee producing.

The short story deal brokering was led by Verve, its second of the day in a turbulent week after the Sony deal for Cola Wars.

Watch the Trailer for Tarot: "When a group of friends recklessly violates the sacred rule of Tarot readings – never use someone else’s deck – they unknowingly unleash an unspeakable evil trapped within the cursed cards. One by one, they come face to face with fate and end up in a race against death to escape the future foretold in their readings."

Written for the Screen and Directed by:

Spenser Cohen & Anna Halberg

Produced by:

Leslie Morgenstein

Elysa Koplovitz Dutton

Scott Glassgold

Executive Producers:

Andrew Pfeffer

Scott Strauss

Anna Halberg

Spenser Cohen

Cast:

Harriet Slater

Adain Bradley

Avantika

and Jacob Batalon

---

Lovely, Dark, And Deep: "Written and directed by Teresa Sutherland, Lovely Dark And Deep is a psychological horror that centers on Lennon, who seizes the opportunity to assume the coveted role of a back-country ranger at a remote outpost. While adapting to her solitary existence in the wilderness,...

Sony Pictures has released a brand new trailer for an upcoming horror flick titled "Tarot." This one was originally going under the title "Horrorscope," but the powers that be decided to be a little more straightforward about what's happening here. Yes, it's about deadly tarot cards and, based on the trailer, it looks very much like what one might expect from a horror movie about deadly tarot cards. Check it out for yourself above.

The footage doesn't give away too much by way of story specifics. It focuses more on the gimmick, which is that this possessed tarot card deck unleashes various deadly beings on its unsuspecting victims. It is also pretty heavy on the jump scares for those who are into that sort of thing. It appears to be cut from the same cloth as 2014's "Ouija." Whether or not that's a good or a bad thing is up...

We’ve been tracking the progress of a Sony / Screen Gems horror movie called Horrorscope for a while now. Last month, it was announced that the movie had been given a May 10th theatrical release date. Today, with the release date still a few months away, a trailer for the film has arrived online… and this trailer reveals that Horrorscope has undergone a title change. It’s now known as Tarot! You can watch the trailer in the embed above.

Best known for playing Peter Parker’s best friend Ned in the recent Spider-Man movies, Jacob Batalon plays the title character in the horror comedy Syfy / Hulu / Amazon series Reginald the Vampire, and also has a lead role in Tarot. He’s joined in the cast by Avantika (Mean Girls), Alana Boden (I Am Elizabeth Smart), Adain Bradley (Wrong Turn: The Foundation), Humberly González (Ginny & Georgia), Wolfgang Novogratz (The Last Summer...

When a group of friends recklessly violates the sacred rule of Tarot readings – never use someone else’s deck – they unknowingly unleash an unspeakable evil trapped within the cursed cards in the upcoming Screen Gems horror movie Tarot. One by one, they come face to face with fate and end up in a race against death to escape the future foretold in their readings.

This one looks like a fairly generic teen horror movie, but the concept could at least allow for a fun array of supernatural entities – several of which are glimpsed in this first trailer.

Update: Artist Trevor Henderson has revealed that he designed the monsters for this movie! Henderson tweets, “I was asked to be the sole designer of the eight different monsters in this movie!!” He also notes, “All of my favourites of the designs are only hinted at.”

The film – which had previously been listed under the title Horrorscope,...

Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners has boarded the hot short story package Long Lost, a 50-page horror tale from writer Colin Bannon that is getting a feature film adaptation.

The short story hasn’t yet been published, but the package was purchased by Universal.

Deadline reports this morning that Bannon will also script the adaptation. Deadline notes, “His deal is in the low 7-figures range for the story and to write the script, said sources.”

The site reports, “In the vein of What Lies Beneath and Rosemary’s Baby, Long Lost tells the story of a recently married woman whose life is upended when her husband’s long-lost wife shockingly returns after she was believed to be dead, sparking fears that she’s hatching a sinister plan to reclaim what was once hers.”

The film will be produced by Spielberg’s Amblin Partners, Simon Kinberg and Audrey Chon for Genre Pictures...

Deadline reports that Universal Pictures has made the first major Hollywood deal of 2024, pre-emptively purchasing the short story package Long Lost, which has the legendary Steven Spielberg attached to produce through his company Amblin Partners.

Long Lost is a 50 page short story written by Colin Bannon, who previously wrote and directed the 2009 comedy Love Conquers Paul. Bannon will be writing the screenplay adaptation of his story, which is said to be “in the vein of What Lies Beneath and Rosemary’s Baby“. The story centers on a recently married woman whose life is upended when her husband’s long-lost wife shockingly returns after she was believed to be dead, sparking fears that she’s hatching a sinister plan to reclaim what was once hers.

How does the maker of a little-seen indie from 15 years ago land a deal like this? Well, in addition to making Love Conquers Paul, Bannon has...

Exclusive: In the first major sale of the year, Universal has pre-emptively purchased the short story package Long Lost that comes with an attachment by Steven Spielberg, who’s aboard as a producer through his U-based Amblin banner.

The 50-page short story was written by Colin Bannon, who will write the script. His deal is in the low 7-figures range for story and to write the script, said sources. Pic will be produced by Spielberg’s Amblin Partners , Simon Kinberg and Audrey Chon for Genre Pictures and Scott Glassgold and his Ground Control Entertainment.

As a screenwriter, Bannon has landed scripts on the Black List a record seven times, and he has sold the specs Ultra to Tri-Star Pictures and First Ascent to Netflix. Bannon’s psychological thriller Holdout is readying at Netflix with Elizabeth Moss attached to star and direct.

In the vein of What Lies Beneath and Rosemary’s Baby,...

Earlier this year, Sony / Screen Gems announced that they would be giving the horror film Horrorscope a theatrical release on June 28, 2024. But in late October, Paramount announced that they were moving A Quiet Place: Day One from its previously announced March 8, 2024 release date to June 28. So it’s no surprise to hear (via Borys Kit) that Screen Gems has decided to shift Horrorscope forward to May 10th. Thanks to A Quiet Place: Day One, we’re going to see Horrorscope a month earlier.

Best known for playing Peter Parker’s best friend Ned in the recent Spider-Man movies, Jacob Batalon plays the title character in the horror comedy Syfy / Hulu / Amazon series Reginald the Vampire, and also has a lead role in Horrorscope. He’s joined in the cast by Alana Boden (I Am Elizabeth Smart), Adain Bradley (Wrong Turn: The Foundation), Avantika (Senior Year), Humberly González (Ginny & Georgia...

Exclusive: The book-to-movie market that has been spotty with two strikes hobbling the business is seeing an uptick that will lead to a few strong deals before the holiday. It could presage a boom market if the optimism from the latest labor talks lead to a deal and resumption of business.

One big deal just closed at Universal, for an action thriller based on the unpublished 43-page short story Run For Your Life. The story is about a groom marked for death on his wedding day, and the studio is at the altar with a pre-emptive purchase that has Safe House scribe and Designated Survivor creator David Guggenheim attached to write and Sam Hargrave in talks to direct. Latter helmed the Chris Hemsworth action films Extraction and its sequel for Netflix and Agbo; Hargrave will next direct another high-action thriller, Stay Frosty, for Warner Bros with Dark Horse Entertainment.

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Earlier this year, it was announced that New Line Cinema had come out the winner in a bidding war over the haunted house project Occupant, which would be based on a 39-page short story by new writer Victor Sweetser. Now that the writers strike has come to an end, The Hollywood Reporter has discovered that New Line Cinema and producer Zach Cregger, the writer/director of last year’s Barbarian (watch it Here), have found the writer who will flesh Sweetser’s story out into a screenplay: Blair Butler, a former writer and on-air personality for shows like Attack of the Show who has gone on to work on several genre films. Her previous writing credits include The Invitation (the vampire movie that starred Nathalie Emmanuel), Polaroid, and Hell Fest. Butler was also a producer on the Marvel-inspired TV series Helstrom.

The Occupant purchase was part of Cregger’s year-long winning streak.

Earlier this year, New Line Cinema acquired the rights to a short horror story titled The Occupant, and THR reports today that Blair Butler has been hired to write the script. Previously announced, Zach Cregger (Barbarian) will produce the film.

Running just 39 pages long, the original horror story was written by Victor Sweetser.

THR notes, “New Line is keeping the logline of the take in the basement, but story is a spin on the traditional haunted house tale in which a family moves into a spooky home. In this case, when a mysterious, old house is moved to a small town, something sinister arrives with it.”

Roy Lee and Scott Glassgold will produce the film adaptation alongside Cregger.

Deadline had previously provided the following synopsis…

“This is the story of a 100-year old Victorian home offered up for free, with the caveat the new owner has to put it on...

In one of its first development moves since the end of the writers strike, New Line has hired Blair Butler to write Occupant, the adaptation of a short story by Victor Sweetser.

Zach Cregger, the filmmaker behind the critically adored 2022 horror movie Barbarian, is producing the supernatural thriller with frequent collaborator Roy Lee of Vertigo Entertainment. Vertigo’s Miri Yoon and Scott Glassgold of Ground Control — the latter specializes in the horror short-story adaptation business — are also producing, as is John Poliquin.

The project was the subject of a heated bidding war in February with New Line, the Warner Bros. division that dominates the studio horror space, winning it with a six-figure outright buy.

New Line is keeping the logline locked in the basement, but the story is a spin on the traditional haunted house tale. In this case, when a mysterious old house is moved to a small town,...

In a bidding war, Sony Pictures has landed “It’s Over,” a horror adaptation based on the short story of the same name written by Jack Follman, according to an insider with knowledge of the project.

“The Nun II” screenwriter Akela Cooper will write the script based off Folman’s work. According to Deadline, which first reported the news, the deal landed in the mid- to high-six-figure range.

Producing the feature adaption is Roy Lee’s Vertigo Entertainment alongside Scott Glassgold’s Ground Control.

Maia Eyre is overseeing the project on behalf of the studio. The unpublished 29-page short story made its debut in the marketplace on Wednesday, marking the writers’ return to work. While plot details are being kept under wraps, “It’s Over” centers on the distressing breakup of a long-term couple, steering it into the realm of horror.

For producers Lee and Glassgold, “It’s Over” represents their second recent deal,...

Deadline reports that Sony Pictures has come out the winner in a bidding war over the rights to bring an adaptation of Jack Follman’s 29-page short story It’s Over to the screen, forking over an amount somewhere in the mid mid- to high-six-figure range to acquire the project. One reason why It’s Over was so appealing to studios is the fact that it has an experienced genre writer attached to handle the screenplay adaptation: Akela Cooper, whose credits include Hell Fest, Malignant, M3GAN, The Nun II, and the upcoming sequel M3GAN 2.0. Cooper is also co-executive producer of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

It’s Over hit the marketplace last Wednesday, the same day the writers strike finally ended after nearly five months. According to Deadline, “the town responded quickly”.

Plot details are being kept under wraps, but it’s said the story “takes the painful breakup...

Exclusive: The first splashy material sale coming after the end of the writer’s strike has an appropriate title.

Sony Pictures won a spirited weekend bidding battle for the Jack Follman short story It’s Over. The deal landed in the mid- to high-six-figure range, and it comes with Akela Cooper set to write the script. Her latest scripted release is the hit The Nun II, and she has made a habit of scripting genre hits from M3GAN to Malignant and Hell Fest. She’s scripted the sequel M3GAN 2.0, and in TV is co-executive producer of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

The film will be produced by Roy Lee’s Vertigo Entertainment alongside Scott Glassgold’s Ground Control. Verve held the auction with the bidders over the weekend.

The 29-page unpublished short story hit the marketplace Wednesday, the first day writers were back in business. In what might be...

Best known for playing Peter Parker’s best friend Ned in the recent Spider-Man movies, Jacob Batalon plays the title character in the horror comedy Syfy / Hulu / Amazon series Reginald the Vampire, and also has a lead role in the upcoming horror film Horrorscope, which is heading our way from Sony / Screen Gems. Sony has announced (via Deadline) that they will be giving Horrorscope a theatrical release on June 28, 2024. So we’re thirteen months away from seeing this one.

Based on a 1992 novel by Nicholas Adams, Horrorscope also stars Alana Boden (I Am Elizabeth Smart), Adain Bradley (Wrong Turn: The Foundation), Avantika (Senior Year), Humberly González (Ginny & Georgia), Wolfgang Novogratz (The Last Summer), Harriet Slater (Pennyworth), Olwen Fouéré (Texas Chainsaw Massacre), and Larsen Thompson (The Midnight Club).

Anna Halberg and Spenser Cohen have written the screenplay adaptation and will also be making their feature directorial debut with Horrorscope, which will...

Exclusive: Lyrical Media has snapped up Sam Haysom’s short story Purgatory Games which Titans and Ash vs. Evil Dead scribe Bryan Edward Hill will adapt into a feature film.

In Purgatory Games, when a mysterious narrator receives a Usb drive from an unknown source containing videos and transcripts of six strangers trapped in an underground bunker with unusual rules to gain their freedom, an investigation begins into this secret, disturbing experiment. The project has been billed as Ring meets Squid Game.

The big screen take of the short story from the viral Reddit/NoSleep thread will be produced by Alex Black and Natalie Sellers on behalf of Lyrical Media with Brian Kavanaugh Jones and Fred Berger producing for Automatik. Hill and Gemma Levinson will also serve as EPs.

Hill is an African-American creator working across film, television, and comics. He has five features in various stages of active deep development including his own comic,...

Written by Aaron Jayh, the short thriller story The Dwelling has never been published – but that’s not stopping it from serving as the basis of a film that has Prisoners and Raised by Wolves writer Aaron Guzikowski writing the screenplay, with Michael B. Jordan and Liz Raposo’s company Outlier Society attached to produce. Jordan is also considering starring in the film. Deadline reports that Amazon Studios came out the winner in a bidding war over the project, paying an amount somewhere in the high six figures. Ground Control’s Scott Glassgold will also be producing the film with Jordan and Raposo.

Deadline notes that “Several studios bid and put together talent alignments, but it came down to Amazon and Netflix.” And Amazon won.

The Dwelling will tell the story of a newly divorced father who discovers a house buried in his backyard. He is a former all pro...

Exclusive: Amazon Studios has won a competitive auction and sealed a high-six figure outright purchase of The Dwelling, an unpublished short story by Aaron Jayh. Michael B. Jordan and Liz Raposo’s Outlier Society are attached to produce. Jordan is potentially starring.

Adapting the mind-bending story will be Aaron Guzikowski, the scribe best known for Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners and Apple TV’s Raised by Wolves. Jordan and Raposo will produce with Ground Control’s Scott Glassgold.

Several studios bid and put together talent alignments, but it came down to Amazon and Netflix, sources said.

The Dwelling tells the story of a newly divorced father who discovers a house buried in his backyard. He is a former all pro football player trying to ease into retirement, and the hits he took on the field starts to make him unsure what is real and imagined, as things begin to go awry.

When Robert Kahn and Vinton Cerf developed a “communication model” that would pave the way to the internet, I doubt online hate groups were a part of the dream. Unfortunately, anonymity and the creation of forums where people can foster deplorable behavior exist. What if someone were to infiltrate them? Can you dismantle this egregious behavior one corner of the dark web at a time? Jessica Chastain‘s character in The Savant is going to try. That’s right, haters. After playing country music star Tammy Wynette in George & Tammy, Chastain will star in The Savant, a new limited series for Apple.

Apple’s eight-part series hails from Anatomy of a Scandal co-creator Melissa James Gibson with Fifth Season and Anonymous Content producing. In Apple’s new series, Chastain plays a top-secret investigator, the Savant. Her job is to infiltrate online hate groups to expose and bring the most...

Misha Green has had some bad luck recently. She was showrunner on the HBO series Lovecraft Country, which didn’t get the second season she had planned out. Then she was hired to write and make her feature directorial debut on a sequel to the 2018 Tomb Raider reboot, a project that fell apart when MGM lost the rights to the property and Amazon picked them up. But Green has also had some good luck recently. Last month, it was announced that she will be making her feature directorial debut on a thriller called Sunflower, based on a script she first wrote 15 years ago. Now Deadline has broken the news that Green will also be writing and direct a sci-fi “terror tale” called I Am Not Alone, with Oscar-winner Jessica Chastain (The Eyes of Tammy Faye) attached to star in the film.

Deadline reports that the rights to the project, which...