André Øvredal has closed a deal to return as director for the sequel of his surprise horror hit from last summer, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.
The screenplay is also being written by the first pic’s writers Dan Hageman and Kevin Hageman and will be based on a story by Guillermo del Toro who produced the first movie.
eOne is also returning to co-finance the horror pic, this time with Paramount Pictures which will distribute. Paramount originally opened Dora the Explorer against Scary Stories (which was co-financed by CBS Films with Lionsgate releasing) over the Aug. 9-11 frame last year. Scary Stories outranked Dora, opening at No. 2 with a great $20.9M to the Nickelodeon pic’s No. 4 debut of $17.4M (Hobbs & Shaw was No. 1 in its second weekend with $25.26M).
The PG-13 horror movie based on Alvin Schwartz’s series of stories was a solid piece of counterprogramming in early August at the end of a Disney-laden franchise summer and went on to gross $68.9M domestic, and $105.8M WW, repping one last big cheer for then shuttering CBS Films.
The first Scary Stories was set in 1968 in the small American town of Mill Valley where for generations, the shadow of the Bellows family loomed large. In their mansion at the edge of town, a young girl turned her tortured life into a series of scary stories, written in a book that transcended time. The book is then discovered by a group of teenagers.
The logline for the sequel is being kept under wraps.
In addition to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Øvredal’s past credits include Mortal and The Autopsy of Jane Doe. He is represented by WME, Industry Entertainment and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller & Gellman.
Dan Hageman and Kevin Hageman’s credits include the television series Troll Hunters: Tales of Arcadia and The Lego Movie. They are repped by Underground and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller & Gellman.
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