Horror movie duo behind Sinister and The Black Phone to remake creepy '50s thriller The Night of the Hunter

Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill, the duo behind horror movies such as Sinister and The Black Phone, have lined up their next project: a remake of acclaimed '50s thriller The Night of the Hunter.

The former will direct the new flick, which is being backed by Universal, as well as pen the script with Cargill, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

Based on David Grubb's noir novel of the same name, which was released in 1953, The Night of the Hunter follows Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum), a murderous ex-con who disguises himself as a preacher, seeks out the widow of a recently executed cellmate and marries her, all in the hope of getting his hands on the stolen cash his old prison pal had hidden with his kids. It doesn't take long for the youngsters to become suspicious of the new man in their mother's life, however, and things escalate when they refuse to reveal the location of the $10,000.

"For those unfamiliar, NIGHT OF THE HUNTER was based on a novel that was *MUCH DARKER* than the 1950s would allow," Cargill took to Twitter to state shortly after the news of the remake broke. "Very excited about this project and thrilled we can finally talk about it."

Before they can get to work on The Night of the Hunter, though, Derrickson and Cargill have got to wrap up The Black Phone 2. Based on Stephen King's son Joe Hill's short story of the same name, the first film centers on Finney Shaw, a 13-year-old boy who gets abducted by a sadistic killer and locked inside a soundproof basement. At first, the boy's chances of escaping seem cripplingly slim. But when the disconnected phone on the wall starts ringing, and he learns that The Grabber's murdered victims are on the line trying to help him, he realizes all hope is not lost.

Mason Thames is set to return as Finney, while Ethan Hawke will reprise his role as The Grabber.

For more, check out our list of the best horror movies of all time, or our guide to the most exciting upcoming horror movies heading our way.