In what appeared to be an absolutely brutal move, Sony Pictures has shifted the release of Slender Man, feeding it directly to New Line Cinema’s The Meg. Yes, the movie is going to be swimming with sharks when it opens against the summer blockbuster on August 10th, an interesting shift from its original Aug. 24 date.
Sony had not been supportive of the feature, with news hitting the trades back in May that the producers were shopping the film to other studios/streaming service after they allegedly had heated disagreements about the release strategy. It appears that no other deals were struck and now Sony will move forward with the release, which looks like a risky move against The Meg.
Following this post, we’ve been told by insiders that the move is more correlated to catching teenagers while they’re still on summer break. The film is tracking extremely well, our source tells us, adding that Sony’s target audience differs immensely from The Meg, which is allegedly targeting older males (they’re both rated “PG-13”). The international release will still be on August 24th.
Directed by Sylvain White, Slender Man centers on a tall thin horrifying figure with a featureless face that is responsible for the haunting, stalking and disappearance of countless victims.
“In a small town in Massachusetts, four high school girls perform a ritual in an attempt to debunk the lore of Slender Man. When one of the girls goes mysteriously missing, they begin to suspect that she is, in fact, HIS latest victim.”
The Conjuring and Wish Upon‘s Joey King and Julia Goldani Telles star with Captain Fantastic actress Annalise Basso, Jaz Sinclair (When The Bough Breaks), and Alex Fitzalan.
Thanks to ERC for the updated date.
UPDATED with new information and some editorial changes at 6:46 PM.
