Movies
David Ellis’ Next: Vacation Fun Turns Deadly During ‘The Briar Lake Murders’
Earlier this morning we reported that David R. Ellis’ Shark Night 3D was going under the working title of The Briar Lake Murders. We were wrong (and deleted the article). It appears that The Briar Lake Murders is Ellis’ next feature film that’s early in the casting process. There is no shooting date scheduled as Ellis is finishing up Shark Night for Relativity Media (arriving in theaters this September). What we did learn is that Ellis will be working with cinematographer Daniel Pearl, who is known for his DP work on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2003, Friday the 13th and Warners forthcoming The Apparition. We typed out an early synopsis inside.
“A group of rude and insensitive city kids take a weekend vacation to Briar Lake, a picturesque town overlooking a beautiful lake, which to most outsiders would appear to be a peaceful small town. Having zero respect for anyone outside of their group, they are confronted by the hostile and eccentric residents. Following a bizarre experience in the town’s diner, they quickly retreat to the protection of their borrowed vacation lake house, where they plan to let loose and celebrate their weekend out of the city.
After an unexpected visit from the local police, the long weekend is cut short. Two of the locals have been brutally murdered, and this group of “outsiders” become the prime suspects. When the string of murders spins out of control, the group must come together to unravel Briar Lake’s sordid past and uncover the hidden secrets.
A vacation is always fun until you die!”
Movies
Duffer Brothers Directing Untitled Event Film for Paramount Theatrical Release in November 2028
We had learned last summer that “Stranger Things” creators Matt and Ross Duffer were setting up shop at Paramount, with the brothers leaving Netflix behind to make theatrical movies for the big screen. The Duffer Brothers had inked an exclusive four-year deal with the studio, and very early news about their first feature film project has dropped this afternoon.
Deadline reports today that an untitled “event film” from writer/directors Matt and Ross Duffer will be released in theaters by Paramount on November 3, 2028.
Literally nothing is known about the project at this time. Stay tuned for more.
We had learned last year that the four-year deal with Paramount would allow the brothers to develop film, TV, and streaming projects, with a particular focus on large theatrical movies.
The projects will be developed under their Upside Down Pictures banner.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to be joining the Paramount family. David, Josh [Greenstein], and Dana [Goldberg] are passionate about bringing bold, original films to the big screen. To be part of that mission is not just exciting — it’s the fulfillment of a lifelong dream,” Matt and Ross Duffer said in a statement last year. “To do so at a studio with such a storied Hollywood legacy is a privilege we don’t take lightly. We’re also excited to reunite with our friends Cindy and Matt, who were among the very first to believe in us and an unusual little script we wrote that became Stranger Things. They took a chance on us in 2015, and they’re taking a chance again — we can’t wait to create new stories together.”
Their statement continued, “Our time at Netflix has been incredible. Ted [Sarandos], Bela [Bajaria], and Peter [Friedlander] have given us the kind of creative freedom and support that artists dream of but so rarely receive. A decade in, they are family. We’re excited to continue collaborating — not only on Stranger Things 5, but also on shows we’re deeply proud to be producing, including Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen and The Boroughs. And we look forward to building out the future of Stranger Things together — there are many more stories to tell beyond Hawkins, and we can’t wait to share them.”
“Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen” and “The Boroughs” are now streaming on Netflix.