André Øvredal Directing Untitled Horror Pic For Paramount & Walter Hamada’s 18hz

EXCLUSIVE: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark filmmaker André Øvredal is returning to the horror space with an untitled project at Paramount Pictures.

Former Warner Bros production executive Walter Hamada is producing via his 18hz production company, as part of his first look deal with Paramount, alongside It movie scribe Gary Dauberman via Coin Operated.

Zachary Donohue and T.W. Burgess penned the script which has a logline that’s being kept secret.

Hamada is also producing Primate for the studio which is currently in production. Dauberman’s feature take of Stephen King’s classic novel, Salem’s Lot, recently streamed on Max. Dauberman penned several installments in The Conjuring series including The Nun franchise and Annabelle franchise. His feature directorial debut was Annabelle Comes Home. Dauberman’s feature take of King’s It grossed $1.1 billion.

Øvredal also directed the movie’s Mortal and Amblin’s The Last Voyage of the Demeter. Scary Stories to Tell was a cash cow for Lionsgate owned CBS Films opening to $20.9M during August 2019 and legging out to $68.9M domestic, $104.5M worldwide. Øvredal is represented by WME, Industry Entertainment, and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller.

Paramount has the sequel to its hit 2022 horror movie Smile, Smile 2, opening on Oct. 18. Smile, which was pivoted from Paramount+ to a theatrical release, went on to gross $105.9M at the domestic box office and $217.4M worldwide.

Hamada first signed a multi-year production pact with Paramount Pictures back in November 2022. During his run at New Line, Hamada shepherded the Conjuring and It movies, and later the DC features at Warner Bros.