In the biggest deal to emerge from this year’s European Film Market so far, Sony Pictures is on the verge of closing worldwide rights to the creature feature Skeletons.
Deadline reports that the deal is landing in the $25 million range, with Sony beating out multiple suitors who wanted domestic rights.
Brie Larson (Kong: Skull Island, Captain Marvel) is set to star, with filming being lined up for this summer.
JT Mollner (Strange Darling) will direct from a script by Brian Duffield (Love and Monsters, No One Will Save You), based on the short story Fail-Safe by Philip Fracassi.
The “modern take on the creature horror film” is told from the perspective of a young boy who slowly begins to discover that his beloved parents are hiding a disturbing secret about his mother’s true nature.
From Bad Robot, Infrared, and Assemble Media, J.J. Abrams will produce alongside Jon Cohen, Drew Simon, and Jack Heller. Executive producers include Larson, Duffield, Fracassi, and Caitlin de Lisser-Ellen.
Mollner is currently developing A24’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre TV series.