Movies
Andy Muschietti Directing Feature Film Adaptation of Edward Gorey’s ‘The Doubtful Guest’ for Amblin!
Written by Edward Gorey and published in 1957, the illustrated book The Doubtful Guest is getting a feature film adaptation from Amblin, with some serious talent attached to it.
For starters, Deadline reports that Andy Muschietti (Mama, It, It: Chapter Two) is directing as well as producing alongside Barbara Muschietti, with Emily V. Gordon (The Big Sick) writing the script. Additionally, Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick) is attached to star!
Deadline notes, “The Doubtful Guest, Gorey’s third book, is one of his most distinctive works. Originally published in 1957, the story revolves around a mysterious, mischievous creature whose unannounced and unwelcome arrival at a family’s home brings trouble and chaos.”
“A vaguely sinister comedy of manners by beloved artist Edward Gorey told in a set of fourteen rhyming couplets, The Doubtful Guest is the story of a solemn, mysterious, outdoor creature, dressed rather ordinarily in sneakers and a scarf, who appears on a winter night at a family’s Victorian home and never leaves again. Gorey’s eerie and charming illustrations accompany the verses, making this an enjoyably strange (and strangely enjoyable) read for all ages.”
Andy and Barbara Muschietti are producing through their production company Double Dream.
Gordon and Nanjiani will be executive producing the film.
Movies
‘Abigail’ on Track for a Better Opening Weekend Than Universal’s Previous Two Vampire Attempts
In the wake of Leigh Whannell’s Invisible Man back in 2020, Universal has been struggling to achieve further box office success with their Universal Monsters brand. Even in the early days of the pandemic, Invisible Man scared up $144 million at the worldwide box office, while last year’s Universal Monsters: Dracula movies The Last Voyage of the Demeter and Renfield didn’t even approach that number when you COMBINE their individual box office hauls.
The horror-comedy Renfield came along first in April 2023, ending its run with just $26 million. The period piece Last Voyage of the Demeter ended its own run with a mere $21 million.
But Universal is trying again with their ballerina vampire movie Abigail this weekend, the latest bloodbath directed by the filmmakers known as Radio Silence (Ready or Not, Scream).
Unlike Demeter and Renfield, the early reviews for Abigail are incredibly strong, with our own Meagan Navarro calling the film “savagely inventive in terms of its vampiric gore,” ultimately “offering a thrill ride with sharp, pointy teeth.” Read her full review here.
That early buzz – coupled with some excellent trailers – should drive Abigail to moderate box office success, the film already scaring up $1 million in Thursday previews last night. Variety notes that Abigail is currently on track to enjoy a $12 million – $15 million opening weekend, which would smash Renfield ($8 million) and Demeter’s ($6 million) opening weekends.
Working to Abigail‘s advantage is the film’s reported $28 million production budget, making it a more affordable box office bet for Universal than the two aforementioned movies.
Stay tuned for more box office reporting in the coming days.
In Abigail, “After a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight. In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl.”
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