If your automatic response to the news that Akiva Goldsman is planning to direct a horror film is, “I thought he already did that with A New York Winter’s Tale! Hurr Hurr LOLLL!!!!!11!” then we’ll give you the a little time to finish giggling. He’s set to make Stephanie as his directorial follow-up.
Goldsman is working with Blumhouse Productions, with which he has close ties after producing several of the Paranormal Activity movies. Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski wrote the script, which follows a little girl with strange abilities who has been abandoned. As her mysterious world is developing, a couple show up claiming to be her parents. Suffice to say, it doesn’t go well for anyone…
It makes sense for Goldsman to go the lower budgeted horror route after Winter’s Tale failed to make much of a splash at the box office: it cost $60 million to make and, despite a big name cast, it’s only taken in $30 million worldwide. But it’s not like the man hasn’t been busy: he’s still a very active producer and in-demand writer, working on projects such as the next two Divergent films, Insurgent and Allegiant: Part 1, and Ron Howard’s long-cherished adaptation of The Dark Tower.