Indie
Techno-Terror ‘Need’ Brings Teens Their Every Desire
Covert Media has come on board to fully finance and produce a movie based on Joelle Charbonneau’s teen thriller Need, Variety reports.
“Need revolves around a new social networking site offering high school students the chance to get anything they desire in exchange for a price. A female student seeks a kidney for her younger brother learns that there is a high price to be paid — and as her peers’ demands escalate, so does the body count.”
Covert will handle worldwide sales on the feature film adaptation at the American Film Market, which opened Wednesday.
Paul Hanson, CEO of Covert Media, made the announcement. Covert’s Elissa Friedman, Media Content Capital’s Sasha Shapiro and Anton Lessine are executive producing the project.
The filmmaking team of Samantha Buck and Marie Schlingmann will write and direct the film adaptation. The duo’s credits include the documentary “Best Kept Secret,” which won a Peabody Award and was nominated for a Golden Globe, along with their shorts “Canary,” which played at the Palm Springs ShortFest, and “The Mink Catcher,” which played at Telluride & SXSW.
“Need” was awarded the 2016 Anthony Award for Best Young Adult Novel. Variety reported last year that the movie project was in development with Bill Block’s Merced Media.
“‘Need’ is a fan favorite YA novel that we know will make for an exciting and chilling look at the world of social media,” Hanson said. “With the fresh perspective of the creative team we have in Samantha and Marie and the twists and turns of Joelle’s novel, this is a film that already has us on the edge of our seats. It’s a dynamic and frightening story of our times.”
Charbonneau is the author of the New York Times Best-Selling trilogy “The Testing,” the Rebecca Robbins mysteries and the Glee Club mysteries. Paramount Pictures optioned “The Testing” following its publication.

Indie
Anna Faris & Regina Hall Promise ‘Scary Movie’ Will “Offend Everyone;” New Images Revealed
The Wayans are out to cancel the Cancel Culture with Scary Movie, and the cast assures it will do just that.
“They sort of have an across-the-board style,” Anna Faris tells EW. “It’s always been a part of the Wayans Brothers, their electricity. ‘Can we offend you? Will you still love us? Come on, you still love us, don’t you?'”
Regina Hall concurs, promising the “boundary-pushing” sixth installment in the horror parody franchise will “offend everyone.”
EW has shared a batch of behind-the-scenes images from Scary Movie, which hits theaters June 5 via Paramount.
Faris and Hall are joined by fellow franchise favorites Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Dave Sheridan, Lochlyn Munro, Cheri Oteri, Chris Elliott, and Jon Abrahams in the legacy sequel.
The ensemble includes Damon Wayans Jr., Gregg Wayans, Kim Wayans, Benny Zielke, Cameron Scott Roberts, Heidi Gardner, Olivia Rose Keegan, Ruby Snowber, Savannah Lee Nassif, Sydney Park, Kenan Thompson, and Felissa Rose.
Michael Tiddes (A Haunted House) directs from a script by Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, original Scary Movie director Keenen Ivory Wayans, Craig Wayans (Scary Movie 2), and Rick Alvarez (A Haunted House).
The film will slash through reboots, remakes, requels, prequels, sequels, spin-offs, elevated horror, origin stories, anything with the word legacy in it, and every “final chapter” that absolutely isn’t final.
Scary Movie launched in 2000, followed by Scary Movie 2 in 2001. The Wayans’ involvement ended there, but the series continued with 2003’s Scary Movie 3, 2006’s Scary Movie 4, and 2013’s Scary Movie 5.

Regina Hall & Marlon Wayans on the set of ‘Scary Movie.’ Credit: Paramount Pictures.

Anna Faris on the set of ‘Scary Movie.’ Credit: Paramount Pictures.

Marlon Wayans & Regina Hall on the set of ‘Scary Movie.’ Credit: Paramount Pictures.

Michael Tiddes & Anna Faris on the set of ‘Scary Movie.’ Credit: Paramount Pictures.

Marlon Wayans on the set of ‘Scary Movie.’ Credit: Paramount Pictures.

Regina Hall & Anna Faris on the set of ‘Scary Movie.’ Credit: Paramount Pictures.

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