Latest news with #ScreenGems
See - Sada Elbalad
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- See - Sada Elbalad
"The Medium" Video Game Film Adaptation in Works
Yara Sameh Coin Operated, the horror-centric banner founded by It and Annabelle writer-producer Gary Dauberman, has secured the screen rights to "The Medium," the award-winning video game created by European developer Bloober Team. Dauberman and Mia Maniscalco, his president at Coin Operated, will produce the adaptation through the banner. A search for a writer and a director for the project is underway. Set in the post-communist era of Poland in the 1990s and taking place mostly in a fictional abandoned hotel in Krakow, the game tells of a woman named Marianna, imbued with psychic abilities, who is called to unravel the mystery of the death of an innocent child. The game was praised for its visuals and its dystopian surrealist style, inspired by the works of painter Zdzisław Beksiński. It also earned praise for its original soundtrack, created by Arkadiusz Reikowski and Akira Yamaoka. Bloober, run by CEO Piotr Babieno, has published a mix of original and franchise games, from "Observer: System Redux" to the award-winning "Silent Hill 2". 'With its compelling story and incredibly cinematic visuals, The Medium is a natural for a feature film adaptation,' said Dauberman in a statement. Dauberman previously worked on adapting horror video game "Until Dawn," directed by David F. Sandberg, which Screen Gems released earlier this spring. 'When I talked to Piotr about it, we immediately connected on our mutual love of horror and his vision for where the genre is headed. I have no doubt anything Bloober develops is going to push horror forward in unique and terrifying ways, and I'm excited to be working alongside them,' continued Dauberman. Stated Babieno, 'Adapting games into films often involves balancing many interests, but with The Medium, I have a deep sense that Gary is the perfect partner for us. From our very first conversation, I felt we were completely in sync. And every conversation since has only reinforced that feeling.' Dauberman is the triple threat filmmaker behind some of the biggest horror franchises of the past decade, including "It," "Annabelle," and "The Nun." His company is currently developing a modern era reboot of "Urban Legend," based on Screen Gems' 1990s slasher movie of the same name, with Shanrah Wakefield set to write the script; Human Remains, a new horror film from writer Zachary Donohue; and Ushers, based on Joe Hill's short story for Screen Gems being adapted by Zak Olkewicz. read more New Tourism Route To Launch in Old Cairo Ahmed El Sakka-Led Play 'Sayidati Al Jamila' to Be Staged in KSA on Dec. 6 Mandy Moore Joins Season 2 of "Dr. Death" Anthology Series Don't Miss These Movies at 44th Cairo Int'l Film Festival Today Amr Diab to Headline KSA's MDLBEAST Soundstorm 2022 Festival Arts & Culture Mai Omar Stuns in Latest Instagram Photos Arts & Culture "The Flash" to End with Season 9 Arts & Culture Ministry of Culture Organizes four day Children's Film Festival Arts & Culture Canadian PM wishes Muslims Eid-al-Adha News Israeli-Linked Hadassah Clinic in Moscow Treats Wounded Iranian IRGC Fighters Arts & Culture "Jurassic World Rebirth" Gets Streaming Date News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia Business Egyptian Pound Undervalued by 30%, Says Goldman Sachs Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Arts & Culture South Korean Actress Kang Seo-ha Dies at 31 after Cancer Battle Arts & Culture Lebanese Media: Fayrouz Collapses after Death of Ziad Rahbani Sports Get to Know 2025 WWE Evolution Results
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Scott Derrickson, Maggie Levin Tackling Adaptation of Horror Novel ‘Ghost Eaters' for Screen Gems (Exclusive)
The Black Phone filmmaker Scott Derrickson has teamed up with his wife, filmmaker Maggie Levin, to tackle an adaptation of the horror novel Ghost Eaters. Screen Gems, which has a first-look with Derrickson's Crooked Highway banner, is behind the project and has picked up the rights to the bestseller written by Clay McLeod Chapman. More from The Hollywood Reporter Mark Duplass, Avan Jogia and More Join Horror Film 'The Backrooms' From A24, Chernin Entertainment '28 Years Later' Review: Jodie Comer and Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Danny Boyle's White-Knuckle Sequel to His Apocalyptic Game-Changer 'Friday the 13th' House "Jason Universe" Announced for Halloween Horror Nights 2025 Levin will write and direct the adaptation. Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill and Vince Cheng will develop and produce via Crooked Highway. The project is in early development. Chapman's novel has been described as a terrifying supernatural descent into the depths of grief and addiction. It follows a group of friends who discover a drug called Ghost, which allows them to see the dead. But Ghost has unfathomable side effects, and as the book jacket says, once you take it, you can never go back. The book scored many accolades when it was published three years ago. It was named one of Vulture's best horror novels of 2022, Paste's best horror books of 2022, Book Riot's best horror novels of 2022, and Crime Reads' best horror fiction books of the same year. It was also a September 2022 Library Reads pick and an October 2022 Indie Next Pick. Chapman has earned Bram Stoker and Shirley Jackson Award nominations for such horror novels as Wake Up and Open Your Eyes, What Kind of Mother, and Whisper Down the Lane. He recently signed a three-book deal with Tor Nightfire, which will kick off with Mr. Lonelyhearts in 2027. Chapman has also worked in the comics and film spaces. Levin previously wrote and directed My Valentine, a feature-length episode of the Hulu/Blumhouse horror anthology series titled Into the Dark. She also wrote and directed an original segment of V/H/S/99, which premiered at TIFF in 2022 and was picked up by Shudder. She worked as a second unit director on Derrickson's big-budget AppleTV+ monster movie The Gorge, one of the most-watched movies on the platform, as well as his Black Phone. She handled similar duties on his upcoming sequel, Black Phone 2, which opens in theaters this October. Levin is repped by WME and Brillstein Entertainment Partners. Chapman is repped by Gotham Group and Ziffren. Best of The Hollywood Reporter The 40 Best Films About the Immigrant Experience Wes Anderson's Movies Ranked From Worst to Best 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Michelle Randolph in Talks to Star in Horror Thriller ‘Malibu' (Exclusive)
Michelle Randolph, known for her work in the Taylor Sheridan series 1923 and Landman, is in talks to star in Malibu, a horror thriller that Tod Williams will direct for Screen Gems. Roy Lee and Steven Schneider are the producing the low-budget thriller via their banner Spooky Pictures. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'Yellowstone' Star Cole Hauser Talks Directing, Bull Riding and Cowboy Future TV Ratings: Most Valuable Shows and Top Rookies of the 2024-25 Season Taylor Sheridan Sets Action Thriller 'F.A.S.T.', Starring Brandon Sklenar, at Warner Bros. (Exclusive) Plot details are being kept in the basement, but it is described as a thriller skulking around in the subterranean horror subgenre. The plan is to shoot later this year. The project is a reunion between Williams with Schneider. The former helmed Paranormal Activity 2, which was part of the hit horror franchise on which Schneider acted as a producer and executive producer. Spooky is the pairing of two big names in the horror genre. Together, Lee and Schneider produced Late Night with the Devil, last year's supernatural horror thriller that starred David Dastmalchian, as well as Strange Darling, the well-reviewed thriller that put director JT Mollner on Hollywood's radar. Spooky is currently developing an adaptation of the Scott Snyder horror comic Dungeon. Lee and Schneider are also part of the producing team for The Long Walk, Lionsgate's adaptation of the Stephen King story that will hit theaters Sept. 12. Randolph in on Hollywood's radar thanks to two key roles in two showy Sheridan TV series. She played Liz Strafford opposite Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren and Brandon Sklenar in 1923, one of the spin-offs in Sheridan's Yellowstone TV series empire. She then landed a role on Landman, in which she plays the daughter of Billy Bob Thornton's titular character. The Paramount+ show was renewed for a second season in March. The rising actress also has a role in Scream 7, which will be released in February 2026. Randolph is repped by UTA and D2 Management. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts Hollywood Stars Who Are One Award Away From an EGOT 'The Goonies' Cast, Then and Now
Time Magazine
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Magazine
We Need More Risks Like the Ones Until Dawn Takes
Survival is a game of odds determined by choice. Every action has a butterfly effect that impacts the decisionmaker and those around them. In some cases, hard choices must be made to achieve the optimum quality of survival. And the success or failure of those sacrifices is ultimately subjective. Those are the stakes of Supermassive Games' Until Dawn (2015), an interactive horror survival video game in which players take control of eight friends who become stranded at a cabin on Blackwood Mountain during a memorial for their friend's death and must survive myriad terrors…until dawn. Those same stakes are also true of adapting a video game for film or television, particularly when it comes to deviating from the source material. The very process of adaptation requires tough choices, and audiences' responses to those choices have bearing not only on the success of the film or show itself, but on the entire climate of video game adaptations in a pop culture space that is looking for both box office and ratings success stories, and new ways to engage audiences with popular IP. David Sandberg's Until Dawn, from Screen Gems and PlayStation Productions, has received a mixed reaction from audiences as a result of its own choices, alongside middling reviews and a modest first weekend box office, though low production costs mean it's likely to recoup if it hasn't already. But Until Dawn is too interesting, and by my count, too fun, an experiment in bringing video game mechanics to the big screen to be discounted. Instead of following the plot or characters of the game, Until Dawn introduces us to a new group of friends. Clover (Ella Rubin), Max (Michael Cimino), Nina (Odessa A'zion), Megan (Ji-young Yoo), and Abe (Belmont Cameli) are searching for Clover's missing sister, Melanie (Maia Mitchell), which leads them to a welcome center in an abandoned mining town, Glore Valley. Once there, they find themselves caught in a death loop, reliving the same night over and over again each time they are killed. The hook, and what sets Until Dawn apart from other time-loop films like Palm Springs, Before I Fall, and Groundhog Day, is that each night offers different monsters and horror scenarios ranging from a masked slasher villain to a witch, wendigos, and more. And each time the characters return to life, with the memories of what they faced and how they died, they come back sporting traces of the injuries that killed them, their bodies changing until they start to become another one of the creatures stalking this nightmare scenario. With 13 chances for all of them to survive together, the group is pitted against a ticking clock and must use the knowledge gained from their deaths to not only ensure their survival as a group but also avoid becoming 'part of the night' forever. There are plenty of nods to the game, and the film is set in the same world, with Peter Stormare reprising his role as the mysterious and manipulative psychiatrist, Dr. Hill. But the film expands upon the game's lore to create a unique, funhouse horror experience, a celebration of multiple horror subgenres and practical effects. Making a film out of Until Dawn was never an easy prospect, and the decision not to use the story or characters from the game was met with backlash from many fans. The game, written by Larry Fessenden and Graham Reznick, is a masterwork in modern survival horror. It's no surprise, given both writers' history and success in the horror movie space (including Habit, Wendigo, The House of the Devil, and X), that Until Dawn has the scale, scope, and character dynamics of a movie. Additionally, the game features motion capture performances and voice acting from recognizable actors, including Rami Malek, Hayden Panettiere, and Jordan Fisher. Until Dawn isn't a case of the cutscenes simply highlighting the quality of graphics. The game looks and sounds like a movie in every regard, from its opening song to the lighting choices and angles, and the way the characters move through the world. Supermassive's follow-up game, the equally excellent The Quarry, written by Reznick, Will Byles, and Alex Farnham, took things a step further by adding a movie mode that allowed 'players' to watch the game like a movie, and offered different options like 'Gorefest' for a more graphic experience, and the 'Horror History Visual Filter Pack' which gave the game three filter options: Indie Horror, which mimicked 8mm style, '80s Horror, which offered a VHS-style look, and Classic Horror, for a black and white filter. Both Until Dawn and The Quarry —along with Supermassive's series of shorter anthology horror games, The Dark Pictures Anthology, which Fessenden and Reznick kicked off with Man of Medan (2018) —have gained the attention and enthusiasm of video gamers and cinephiles. Given how thin the line between game and film was already, what was the point of making an Until Dawn movie? It's a question many fans asked upon the film's announcement. And the adaptation was never going to be as straightforward as its peers in this space. HBO has found immense ratings success and awards nominations with The Last of Us, which, while based on a PlayStation game far more action and gameplay-oriented than Until Dawn, follows the plot of the games almost beat for beat and sometimes shot for shot. Despite complaints that the show does little to justify its existence, and petty, often mean-spirited grievances over casting choices that don't match the game designs, The Last of Us has been deemed a massive success and a high point in video game adaptations. Also a success, while taking a very different approach, is Amazon's Fallout, which is set in the world and continuity of the games but introduces audiences to new characters within its vast, post-apocalyptic setting. But unlike The Last of Us and Until Dawn, Fallout is an RPG game in which gamers play as a character they've created and named, which makes the transition to a new protagonist for the series easier. Some have argued that Sandberg and writers Gary Dauberman and Blair Butler could've simply adapted Until Dawn beat for beat, like The Last of Us. Undoubtedly, the characters would have had to be recast, given that the originating cast is now 10 years older than their characters, but it was certainly doable, and seemingly what some fans of the game would have preferred. But the movie's creators have argued that that approach wouldn't have captured the spirit of the game, in which numerous branching paths exist depending on the player's choices. On the decision to not simply adapt the game, Sandberg explained his rationale in an interview with ScreenRant: 'The game is pretty much a 10-hour movie, so I think it wouldn't have been as interesting for me if we were doing just the game, because then it's going to be like a cut-down, non-interactive version of the game, which just wouldn't be the same thing. So, I was very excited to read the script and see that it took Until Dawn further and did more with it, but also kept—when you play the game, the fun part of it is sort of replaying it and making different choices for the characters and see different deaths and all these things. And that was so brilliantly incorporated in movie form, which is non-interactive, but you can still get the different outcomes.' Co-writer Blair Butler shared similar sentiments about her own reservations with rehashing the game. 'The remaster [released in Fall 2024] was coming out roughly the same time that we were hoping to get this movie together. And that was another reason that I think everyone involved, Gary, as well, didn't want to just remake the original storyline, beat for beat.' The existential need for experimentation The filmmakers' desire for creative freedom, while playing around within the world of Until Dawn, is an understandable one. And I'd argue that the film still feels of a piece with the game, with the characters fulfilling the archetypes you'd see in a Supermassive game, and Jennifer Spence's production design nailing the vibe and look of set pieces that would feel right at home in the game. Additionally, the film takes a page from the VR spin-off game, Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, which sees the player caught inside the mind of one of Until Dawn 's central characters and facing off against various nightmares inspired by his anxieties and fear of death. These aspects, along with the film implementing a version of the 'Chapter Restart' option in the game with the time loop mechanism, all capture the spirit of the game. What Sandberg's film is lean on is the quieter moments of the game that give players the option to talk to the other characters and learn more about them while building stronger relationships of both negative and positive impact. While there were certainly other choices that could have been made in bringing Until Dawn to the big screen, there's something of unique value in how the film works game mechanics, like our ability to restart when we make the wrong choice, into the narrative and theme of the story. If video game movies, especially those that already push the boundaries between film and television, are to have any longevity in Hollywood, then filmmakers have to do more than simply retell the games. Until Dawn may not strike the perfect balance, and there's an opportunity for this method of adapting the choice-based mechanics to do more work in the character department in the future. But as a play test, it's a successful first attempt at doing something new while incorporating the concept of the game. The alternative, and an option all fans of the game have, is to simply play the game again if we want to relive the exact experience of the game. Sometimes, even as fans of a game, if we want to see these properties survive and engage us in new ways, we just have to relinquish control.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gigi Zumbado takes the edge off new Valentine's Day slasher 'Heart Eyes'
Love is a killer in the new Valentine's Day horror flick 'Heart Eyes" — but Gigi Zumbado brings levity and charm to this cheeky, yet gruesome movie. The Cuban American actor stars alongside Olivia Holt ('Ally') and Mason Gooding ('Jay'), two co-workers at a marketing agency who find themselves together, but not together, on Valentine's Day. Meanwhile, the 'Heart Eyes Killer,' known for killing young couples in Boston and Philadelphia, has set his sights on Seattle, where the movie takes place. Directed by Josh Ruben and brought to you by Screen Gems and Spyglass Media Group, the same company behind the 'Scream" franchise, "Heart Eyes" is bound to keep date night-goers on the edges of their seats. The horror factor, however, takes a back seat when Ally and Jay share comically gratuitous moments of rom-com schmaltz. Zumbado's charisma shines through in lighthearted scenes as Monica: Ally's co-worker, wingwoman and occasional fashion police. Their on-screen kinship likely stems from Zumbado's real-life identity as a "girl's girl." Born and raised in Miami, the 28-year-old navigates the entertainment industry alongside her two sisters, Carmela and Marisela Zumbado, who are also actors. 'I always say that we have three raffle tickets in the raffle," Gigi Zumbado said over a Zoom call with De Los. "We read for the same roles, even though we're very different. We're always sharing notes and giving each other advice." As the youngest of the three, Zumbado has forged her own path in showbiz, having previously taken on the role of Tammy Ocampo in the Epix series "Bridge and Tunnel,' and appearing in such films as 'Pitch Perfect 2" and 'Tone-Deaf.' She is also featured in an upcoming comedy pilot for CBS, 'DMV,' alongside former "Saturday Night Live" cast members Tim Meadows and Molly Kearney. But before Zumbado ventures off into her promising future, will her character Monica survive this Valentine's Day unscathed? Zumbado spoke with De Los about the making of "Heart Eyes" and bringing a taste of Little Havana to Hollywood. The following Q&A has been lightly edited for clarity and length and contains spoilers. Your character Monica took the edge off an otherwise intense thriller. What did you think of your character? Oh, I love her. She's very fun. Monica is a blast. It's so funny because I feel like I'm in a different movie than everybody else. I forget how scary and hectic and crazy it is. Monica [offered] comedic relief. To come in and just, like you said, take the edge off and get to laugh a little bit. You say your character was in a completely different movie than the others. What kind of movie is Monica in? My character's in a Mary-Kate and Ashley [Olsen] movie. I [cannot] comment so much on the slasher aspects of it. I just got to laugh and have a nice fun time with Olivia Holt. [It] felt like we were just kiki-ing all day long. I kept thinking, 'Is Monica going to be part of the horror?' But [spoiler alert] it felt nice to see a best friend who doesn't die. What a concept. [laughs] If you did have to defend yourself from the killer known as 'Heart Eyes,' what would you use? A chancleta. [Visibly takes off her shoe.] This one's a little one, it's a little kitten heel, it doesn't do much. My dad always told me and my sisters, "If you got a heel, use it." How does it feel to come from an acting family? Are your parents actors? Our parents are not actors at all. I do self tapes with my mom sometimes, and that's a horror scene in itself, trying to get her to act opposite me if my sisters are not available. It's fun, though, because our parents never pushed this on us, ever. We were just the entertainment of our family, always dancing and playing instruments, and so that's how we came into entertaining, through music. The three of us all live together in Hollywood now. If Carmela goes in before me to an audition, she'll come out of the room and be like, 'OK, they hated this, they like this, they're looking for this.' I get an extra minute to prep. Then if Marisela goes in next, I'll be like 'OK, Mari, they liked this from Carmela and this of me, but you do this and da, da, da, da.' We're super lucky. I don't know how people can handle this industry without having two best friends beside them cheering them on as well. I wouldn't be able to do this without my sisters. How does it feel to live in L.A., coming from a Miami household?We just turned the Hollywood Hills into Little Havana. We have our mom with us, and we got our dad out here. Now that all of our grandparents have passed, we go back less, and now my aunts and uncles and cousins [come] out here for the holidays. We're such a tight-knit group. We're just not accepting anything else. What comes next for you? I'm really excited about a pilot that I shot in November in Montreal. It's called 'DMV.' It's a CBS pilot, a workplace comedy, and it has the most incredibly talented, hilarious cast I've ever worked with. I feel like the smallest fish in a huge pond with these comedic legends. They're "SNL" alum, and they're incredible. I'm really hoping we get to go forward because that was a blast and those people are just so gifted and it felt like being on a TED Talk, just watching them all interact with each other. I did see that it was in development. That's so cool. Dana Klein is amazing. She changed my character's name to Cecilia and made her a Cuban girl from Miami. It was so cool to get to bring out my roots and showcase, you know, a little chonga from Miami to CBS. I am starting to notice more Latino characters in mainstream media that don't necessarily have an overly detailed backstory; they can just exist and be who they are. Totally. That was probably the biggest compliment to me. In "Heart Eyes," this character of Monica was an open ethnicity [role]. I just happened to be Latina. I had gotten sick of only reading or booking things specifically for Cuban girls. There was a time that you just needed to be Cuban and were asked, 'Do you speak fluent Spanish? Were you raised speaking Spanish?' It had to be [this] exact Latin story for you to be able to tell it. I don't think that's realistic or how it works. I think we all share a lot of things in our different cultures. And I was so proud that this role had nothing to do with being Hispanic. I happen to be Latina. The writer is letting me showcase that, but that's not why I booked it. And that was such a compliment to me. Get our Latinx Files newsletter for stories that capture the complexity of our communities. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
