We have learned that Scott Derrickson is set to direct an adaptation of Joe Hill’s The Black Phone for Blumhouse.
Derrickson will direct and produce the film with C. Robert Cargill set to write the screenplay and also produce. Cargill has been a longtime collaborator with Derrickson, as they have previously worked on Sinister, Sinister 2, and Doctor Strange.
The duo are also developing the upcoming Labyrinth sequel together for Sony as well as Bermuda Triangle for Skydance (Chris Evans is reportedly set to star in that film).
Derrickson is no stranger to the horror genre with Sinister recently being crowned the scariest horror movie of all time according to a study. He has not directed a horror film since Deliver Us from Evil in 2014, although it was said that his version of Doctor Strange: In The Multiverse of Madness would have featured horror elements.
It is expected that Derrickson & Cargill will follow the original short story for their film adaptation. It is unknown when production will begin or when the film will be released, partially due to COVID-19 and the fact that Derrickson has a very busy schedule with his 2 other upcoming films. However, if I was to theorize, I would assume that this will be Derrickson’s next film.
Jason Blum will produce the film through Blumhouse who have been continuing to work very hard during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company has recently released 4 independent horror films on Amazon Prime Video as part of their Welcome to the Blumhouse project.
The company has also entered the PVOD game with plans to release The Craft Legacy and Freaky on demand over the next month.
Joe Hill’s original The Black Phone short story comes from his award-winning published collection, 20th Century Ghosts. Hill’s other hit novels include NOS4A2 and Horns, which have also been met with unique screen adaptations. A preview of The Black Phone is below:
John Finney is in trouble. The kidnapper locked him in a basement, a place stained with the blood of half a dozen murdered children. With him in his subterranean cell is an antique phone, long since disconnected…but which rings at night, anyway, with calls from the dead.
