The Night of the Hunter movie is in the works with Scott Derrickson
(LR) Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill attend the Los Angeles Premiere of Universal Pictures’ “The Black Phone” at TCL Chinese Theater on June 21, 2022 in Hollywood, California.
Fraser Harrison/Getty Images
Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill, the horror team behind horror movies evil And Black phoneWe’re going noir.
Universal has hired Derrickson to direct an adaptation of Night Hunterthe popular 1953 crime novel by Davis Grubb that was previously made into a 1955 thriller starring Robert Mitchum.
Derrickson will write the script with Cargill, his frequent collaborator who also worked with him on the Marvel Studios entry. Doctor Strange.
Peter Geathers will produce through his KramMar Delicious Mystery Productions, and Amy Pascal will produce through her first Pascal Pictures deal with Universal Pictures.
Hunter It tells the story of Harry Powell, a murderous ex-con who assumes the identity of a preacher in order to commit his misdeeds. While in prison, Powell was told by a cellmate scheduled to be executed that he had hidden stolen money with his children. Upon his release, Powell finds the widow, proposes to her, and marries her, all in an attempt to find the stolen items. Things get worse for the kids from there.
The 1955 film is considered a classic noir and certainly sets high standards. The film, directed by Charles Laughton and starring Shelley Winters and Lillian Gish, was selected for preservation in the US National Register in 1992 and has influenced filmmakers ranging from Guillermo del Toro to the Coen Brothers.
Derrickson and Cargill are currently working on this Black phone 2, which will reunite the stars of the first film, including Ethan Hawke and Mason Thames. The feature’s theatrical release date is set for June 27, 2025.
Derrickson is repped by WME, Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Ziffren Brittenham. Cargill is repped by WME and Brillstein. The Davis Grubb estate is represented by Murray Weiss of Catalyst Literary Management.
