Sébastien Vaniček to Direct ‘Evil Dead’ Spin-Off, Signs With CAA

Sébastien Vaniček, director of the French horror film “Infested (Vermines),” has signed with Creative Artists Agency and is now attached to direct a new spin-off in the “Evil Dead” horror series that will be produced by Sam Raimi’s Ghost House Pictures.

No word yet on whether Warner Bros. will distribute the spin-off as it did with last year’s “Evil Dead Rise,” a film from writer-director Lee Cronin that was initially greenlit as a Max streaming exclusive film but was pivoted to a theatrical release, where it grossed $147 million at the global box office.

Raimi, who created the “Evil Dead” series in 1981 and cofounded Ghost House with Robert Tapert in 2002, was an executive producer on “Evil Dead Rise” with the franchise’s original star, Bruce Campbell.

Vaniček made his feature film debut with “Infested,” a film about a depressed 30-year-old who obsesses with exotic animals to grapple with his loneliness. When a venomous spider he brings home escapes into his apartment, the spider rapidly reproduces, creating a deadly infestation that leaves the apartment residents fighting for their lives.

“Infested” premiered at Critics’ Week during the Venice Film Festival and later screened at Fantastic Fest in Austin, winning the Best Picture and Best Director awards at the Alamo Drafthouse-sponsored festival.

In addition to CAA, Vaniček is represented by French management firm Studio 112. The new project was first reported by Deadline.

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