Exclusive Media Group’s (EMG) British film studio, Hammer Films, reports it has optioned feature film rights to author Susan Hill’s horror novel, "The Woman in Black" and will produce a film adaptation with Talisman Films. Jane "Kick-Ass" Goldman will adapt the screenplay for director James "Eden Lake" Watkins.
The story follows young solicitor 'Arthur Kipps', summoned to Crythin Gifford, a small market town on the east coast of the United Kingdom to attend to the funeral of 'Mrs Alice Drablow', an elderly widow who lived alone in the desolate and secluded 'Eel Marsh House'.
"...As he works alone in the client’s isolated house, Kipps begins to uncover tragic secrets, his unease growing when he glimpses a mysterious woman dressed only in black. Receiving only silence from the locals, Kipps is forced to uncover the true identity of the Woman in Black on his own, leading to a desperate race against time when he discovers her true intent..."
Hammer Films' Simon Oakes and Talisman Films' Richard Jackson will produce the picture, with Nigel Sinclair and Guy East executive producing. Roy Lee and Doug Davison’s Vertigo Entertainment ("The Grudge") are also attached, with Roy Lee also executive producing. Exclusive Film Distribution will handle worldwide sales/distribution, representing the film at the forthcoming EFM in Berlin.
Hill’s novel was adapted into a stage play by Stephen Mallatratt, first performed at the Theatre-By-The-Sea in Scarborough, UK in 1987. It moved to the Fortune Theatre in London’s West End in 1989, where it still runs today.
"I am delighted to be given the opportunity to work with Jane Goldman, and with Talisman and Hammer, to turn Susan Hill's spine-chilling ghost story into a film that scares people stiff and moves them to tears,” said Watkins.
"'The Woman in Black’ is an iconic British horror story, and so makes a perfect match for Hammer, said Oakes. "Jane Goldman has written a terrific screenplay and with James Watkins at the helm, we feel that this feature adaptation of Susan Hill’s classic novel will be both dynamic and terrifying..."
The story follows young solicitor 'Arthur Kipps', summoned to Crythin Gifford, a small market town on the east coast of the United Kingdom to attend to the funeral of 'Mrs Alice Drablow', an elderly widow who lived alone in the desolate and secluded 'Eel Marsh House'.
"...As he works alone in the client’s isolated house, Kipps begins to uncover tragic secrets, his unease growing when he glimpses a mysterious woman dressed only in black. Receiving only silence from the locals, Kipps is forced to uncover the true identity of the Woman in Black on his own, leading to a desperate race against time when he discovers her true intent..."Hammer Films' Simon Oakes and Talisman Films' Richard Jackson will produce the picture, with Nigel Sinclair and Guy East executive producing. Roy Lee and Doug Davison’s Vertigo Entertainment ("The Grudge") are also attached, with Roy Lee also executive producing. Exclusive Film Distribution will handle worldwide sales/distribution, representing the film at the forthcoming EFM in Berlin.
Hill’s novel was adapted into a stage play by Stephen Mallatratt, first performed at the Theatre-By-The-Sea in Scarborough, UK in 1987. It moved to the Fortune Theatre in London’s West End in 1989, where it still runs today.
"I am delighted to be given the opportunity to work with Jane Goldman, and with Talisman and Hammer, to turn Susan Hill's spine-chilling ghost story into a film that scares people stiff and moves them to tears,” said Watkins."'The Woman in Black’ is an iconic British horror story, and so makes a perfect match for Hammer, said Oakes. "Jane Goldman has written a terrific screenplay and with James Watkins at the helm, we feel that this feature adaptation of Susan Hill’s classic novel will be both dynamic and terrifying..."
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "The Woman In Black"...
