Author of Paperbacks from Hell, Horrorstör, and We Sold Our Souls, Grady Hendrix has become one of the must-read storytellers of modern horror over the past several years, and a feature film adaptation of his 2016 novel, My Best Friend's Exorcism, is now in the works with Happy Death Day director Christopher Landon on board to produce and potentially direct.
The Hollywood Reporter broke the exciting news about the in-the-works "feature adaptation" of My Best Friend's Exorcism following Endeavor Content's acquirement of the rights to adapt the book.
THR reveals that Landon (Happy Death Day, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse) is "developing the feature adaptation as a potential directing vehicle," but it's not yet confirmed if he will direct or only produce the adaptation of the Quirk Books publication. Joining Landon as producers on the film are Quirk Books and Gotham Group’s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein. Landon is currently directing Happy Death Day 2U for Blumhouse Productions and Universal Pictures.
Writer Jenna Lamia (90210, Awkward., Good Girls) is set to write the screenplay based on Hendrix's novel, which takes place in 1988 and follows the strained relationship of high school best friends Abby and Gretchen after one of them is possessed by a demon.
We'll keep Daily Dead readers updated on further announcements, and if you're unfamiliar with My Best Friend's Exorcism, we have the official synopsis and killer cover art below (via Quirk Books):
"An unholy hybrid of Beaches and The Exorcist that blends teen angst, adolescent drama, unspeakable horrors, and a mix of ’80s pop songs into a pulse-pounding supernatural thriller.
The year is 1988. High school sophomores Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fourth grade. But after an evening of skinny-dipping goes disastrously wrong, Gretchen begins to act…different. She’s moody. She’s irritable. And bizarre incidents keep happening whenever she’s nearby. Abby’s investigation leads her to some startling discoveries—and by the time their story reaches its terrifying conclusion, the fate of Abby and Gretchen will be determined by a single question: Is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil?"
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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