It’s a terrific day to be a fan of filmmakerAndré Øvredal. And before theScary Stories to Tell in the Darkfandom gets a burst of adrenaline, no, this has absolutely nothing to do with a sequel to the 2019 film. Instead,Deadlinereports that the genre director has teamed up with Paramount Pictures for a brand-new project for which no details have been released. All we know at this time is that the production will stay in the same horror vein that we’ve come to know and love Øvredal’s for.Salem’s Lotdirector and screenwriter,Gary Dauberman, will produce under his Coin Operated banner, whileWalter Hamadawill do the same through his production company 18hz. Writing duoZachary Donohue(The Unknowable) andT.W. Burgess(Early Haunts) are the collaborative team behind the movie’s secretive script.
If his track record is any indication, Øvredal has likely attached his name to yet another dark, twisted, and terrifying project filled with plenty of jump scares. The Norwegian filmmaker first began making waves with his 2010 found footage horror flickTrollhunter, before moving onto the subgenre of demonic possession with 2016’s utterly unsettlingBrian CoxandEmile Hirsch-led title,The Autopsy of Jane Doe. More recently, he brought a generation’s childhood terrors to life withScary Stories to Tell in the Dark(more on that in a minute), then moved back to his roots with the Norse mythology-driven fantasy action flick,Mortal. Last August, the director stood at the helm of the perfect summer scarer when he brought audiences a unique and undertold chapter in the story of Dracula throughThe Last Voyage of the Demeter.
What’s Going On with ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark 2’?
Brimming with nostalgia and terror, Øvredal was part of the team behind Lionsgate’s on-point adaptation ofAlvin SchwartzandStephen Gammell’s iconic spooky anthology book collection,Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. With other names includingGuillermo del Toro attached to the mechanics of the title,the movie perfectly encapsulated the terror that served as a gateway to horror for so many of us growing up. Abox office successand given the stamp of approval from the fandom, it didn’t take long for the studio togreen-light a sequel. Unfortunately, in the four years since that follow-up film was given the go-ahead, production has stalled, with details slowing down to barely a trickle.
Last year, it was revealed thatthe gears were still turning on the production, while over the summer,comments made by the film’s scribes, Dan and Kevin Hageman, seemed to hint that the project was essentially back at square one. While they couldn’t get too far into details, the latter said,
“We can’t get into it, butwe wrote something, and that’s the last we know. We know a lot of people liked it, but we also know that nothing’s happening right now. [Laughs] We’re in the dark with you guys.”
For now, you can stay tuned to Collider for more updates on Øvredal’s latest project with Paramount Pictures as well as any new information that might come out about aScary Stories to Tell in the Darksequel.
