Horror Meme 'Slender Man' Getting Film Adaptation
By Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter
Horror meme Slender Man is heading to the big screen.
Screen Gems is in negotiations with Mythology Entertainment, the production company run by Bradley Fischer, James Vanderbilt, and William Sherak, to produce a film version of the Internet-grown intellectual property.
Related: Sydney Comic-Con Attendee Dressed as Slender Man Asked to Leave After Poking People
Madhouse Entertainment and It Is No Dream Entertainment are also involved with the deal, as the two are partners with Mythology in the venture. Mythology acquired the rights for all platforms including motion picture, television, video games, publishing, and more.
Slender Man began life on a horror website called Something Awful, which was conducting a photo contest. Eric Knudsen submitted photos of children and a photoshopped figure of a figure with unnaturally long arms and a featureless face. A narrative implied the man was involved in causing the disappearance of children and other horrifying acts.
The photos and idea went viral, taking on a life of its own as other people added to the pictures and text, growing the myth. Short films, cosplay, and video games followed.
Related: ‘Slender Man Made Me Do It’: 10 Crimes Triggered By Pop Culture
Screen Gems would co-produce and distribute the feature, targeting a fall 2016 production start. The film’s script, which was written by David Birke, the scribe behind horror flick 13 Sins and the upcoming Paul Verhoeven-directed movie Elle, will be going out to directors soon.
Joining Fischer, Vanderbilt, and Sherak as producers are Robyn Meisinger of Madhouse Entertainment and Sarah Snow of It Is No Dream Entertainment.
Mythology’s exec vp of film, Tracey Nyberg, will executive produce along with It Is No Dream’s Louis Sallerson, and Madhouse’s Adam Kolbrenner and Ryan Cunningham.
Related: ‘Shining’ Prequel ‘Overlook Hotel’ Lands Director
Mythology last produced the drama Truth, the Robert Redford-as-Dan Rather drama directed by Vanderbiilt, and is developing Shining prequel The Overlook Hotel for Warner Bros. It also has TV series Altered Carbon set up at Netflix.
