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EXCLUSIVE: Angel Gomez (Arachnid) has been set to direct Dangerous Games To Play, a supernatural horror movie for former Sony exec Scott Strauss and Thunder Road’s genre label Badlands.
Written by Evan Spiliotopoulos (The Pope’s Exorcist), pic is based on Lucia Peters’ novel Dangerous Games To Play In The Dark. The producers said of the novel: “The source material is a collection of spine-chilling games based on urban legends from around the world. While these games might seem like simple dares or tests of bravery, the book warns those who risk playing should remember: What they summon may not want the games to end…”
Altitude Film Sales will introduce the project to buyers next week at the American Film Market, with CAA Media Finance handling domestic rights. The team is eyeing a spring 2025 production start. Casting discussions are underway.
As we revealed earlier this year, Badlands is a partnership between Strauss and Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee’s John Wick outfit Thunder Road. Backed by Andrew Schwartzberg and Jon Shiffman’s Renegade Capital, the company’s first feature Arachnid, directed by Gomez and starring Matilda Lutz, is currently in post.
“We see Dangerous Games To Play as the start of a very fun and scary PG-13 franchise,” said Strauss. “We couldn’t be more excited to be back in business with Angel after our amazing experience on Arachnid.”
As an executive at Sony, Strauss initiated and oversaw PG-13 horror entry Tarot, which went on to gross $50M worldwide from an $8M production budget. He also collaborated with Spiliotopoulos on The Pope’s Exorcist, which went on to gross $77M worldwide. The writer’s 2021 horror The Unholy was produced by Sam Raimi and Screen Gems.
Gomez is represented by CAA and Ground Control. Spiliotopoulos is represented by Verve and Fourth Wall. Thunder Road and Badlands are represented by CAA Media Finance. The original novel is published by Chronicle Books and represented by UTA.
