Movies
Guillermo del Toro Isn’t ‘Afraid of the Dark’
Get ready for more horror from Guillermo del Toro as he will be teaming with Miramax Films to produce a remake of the horror-thriller telefilm Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, the specialty distributor’s first big dive into horror filmmaking under president Daniel Battsek. You can read all about it inside.
Comic book artist-writer Troy Nixey will make his feature directorial debut with the adaptation of ABC’s 1973 cult classic.
Canadian Troy Nixey, who’s creepy and fun short, Latchkey’s Lament played last year’s Short Cuts Canada programme at the Toronto International Film Festival (pretty awesome)!
Del Toro is adapting Nigel McKeand’s teleplay with Matthew Robbins, his writing partner on the 1997 horror film “Mimic” for Miramax’s former genre label Dimension.
“Dark” centers on a young girl, sent to live with her father and his new girlfriend, who discovers sinister creatures that live underneath the stairs.
Michael Falbo, Miramax’s director of production and development, will oversee the project for the studio under president of production Keri Putnam.
The film is in its early stages; research and development of the monsters hasn’t begun yet, and other producers might come aboard. Moviegoers can expect an upscale creature feature along the lines of del Toro’s “Pan’s Labyrinth,” with an emphasis on distinctive characters in keeping with the Miramax slate.
Directed by John Newland, the original telefilm (known as “Nightmare” in Europe) gained a cult following through syndication and home video release.
Nixey wrote and directed the 2007 supernatural thriller short “Latchkey’s Lament,” a mix of CGI animation and live action. He has attained cult status for illustrating “Batman” and “Matrix” comics as well as writing and illustrating Dark Horse Comics’ “Trout,” which is in development at Phoenix Pictures.
“It has always been a dream of mine to work on a project with Guillermo, my favorite filmmaker,” Nixey said. “I had no idea it would be on my first one out. Miramax’s faith in me is everything a first-time director could ask for.”
Nixey is one of several emerging filmmakers, including “Orphanage” helmer Juan Antonio Bayona, mentored by del Toro.
Peter McPartlin, vp business affairs and legal, negotiated the deal on behalf of Miramax. Endeavor and Gary Ungar at Exile Entertainment, who rep del Toro and Nixey, negotiated on behalf of the filmmakers. Robbins is repped by the Pitt Group.
One of the genre films set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in June is the sci-fi/drama She Loved Blossoms More, and a bonkers first-look photo has arrived this week (above).
Additionally, Variety reports this afternoon that Yellow Veil Pictures has secured world sales on She Loved Blossoms More, billed as a “family drama in science fiction disguise.”
In the film, “three brothers build an unusual time-machine in order to bring their long-dead mother back to life. When their delusional father comes into the picture, the experiments go awry, and they descend into a psychedelic hellscape where the past and present fuse in a comedic yet deeply disturbing exploration of grief.”
Yannis Veslemes directed the film and co-wrote with Dimitris Emmanouilidis.
Veslemes said in a statement shared by Variety, “[She Loved Blossoms More is] a ballad for the defeated, a comedy for the accursed, a moral tale for us all and our beloved families.”
“She Loved Blossoms More is the first film we’ve onboarded at script stage, and it’s been quite amazing to see it come alive,” said Hugues Barbier of Yellow Veil Pictures. “We couldn’t be more proud of Yannis’ vision and the amazing team he has around him. Blossoms is an emotional thrill ride and a calling card for one of the most exciting new filmmakers.”
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