A film version of Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark trilogy has been in the works for years, but it’s just taken a big step forward with an exciting choice of director.
Deadline reports that André Øvredal, the director of the brilliantly constructed The Autopsy Of Jane Doe and the hugely entertaining Trollhunter, has signed on to helm the movie, which “follows a group of young teens who must solve the mystery surrounding sudden and macabre deaths in their small town.”
Guillermo del Toro, who was once thinking about directing, will produce, and the most recent draft of the script was written by Kevin Hageman and Dan Hageman (The LEGO Movie). Previous writers to take on the material include John August (Big Fish) and The Collector duo Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton.
The first book of short stories was published in 1981, and their legendary status has in part been secured thanks to the amazing illustrations by Stephen Gammell, which have helped to terrify generations of children. Production on the movie is due to start in the summer.
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