James Tynion IV‘s Something Is Killing the Children comic book series isn’t only known for its ominous title, it’s also one of the most successful horror comic book franchise’s of the last decade. The concept is relatively straightforward: shape-shifting and bug-like monsters arrive in small towns and terrorize their younger residents (as implied by the name), with the catch being it’s only kids who can even see the creatures, resulting in adults dismissing the threat.
The series has spawned a number of spin-offs focusing on all sorts of communities, with there being immense potential to translate the concept into other mediums. Because of this, a live-action adaptation of the project has been in the works for years, with various iterations seeing starts and stops in their development.
We finally got some significant news about a movie adaptation of the book, as it was confirmed at Blumhouse‘s Blumfest panel at New York Comic Con that a the movie would be directed by Craig Zobel. The filmmaker previously helmed the thriller Compliance, based on real-life events, the post-apocalyptic sci-fi adaptation Z for Zachariah, and the horror satire The Hunt. He also has a number of TV credits on his resume, including The Penguin and Mare of Easttown.
This new announcement makes good on a promise from Tynion from earlier this week, in which he teased significant momentum on the franchise.
“What I can say about Blumhouse … is they are not afraid of stories that put children in peril,” Tynion shared with Entertainment Weekly. “This time around, I am much more directly involved in the development as it makes the jump into other media, in ways that I can’t fully say yet.”
He added, “Jason Blum himself has been a huge advocate of the series, and I know he feels the potential for what this could be beyond a comic, beyond a novel, beyond all of this. I think Erica Slaughter is a character who has the potential to resonate with people all over the world. She already has in publishing, and I am thrilled that we’re going to have the potential to see her come to life in a whole bunch of different ways.”
The movie is currently being developed alongside an adult animation adaptation of the story. There are no details yet about when either project could be released.
Are you excited by the pick for director? Let us know in the comments below!