David F. Sandberg is on board to direct a new The Amityville Horror film for Amazon MGM Studios.
The Safran Company’s Peter Safran and John Rickard will produce alongside Sandberg, while The Safran Company’s Natalia Safran and Lotta Losten will executive produce.
Ian Goldberg and Richard Naing wrote the screenplay for the reimagining of the original 1979 classic. The film starred a Josh Brolin, Margot Kidder and Rod Steiger and followed a young couple who purchase a haunted home and is based on Jay Anson’s 1977 novel of the same name. The writing duo also wrote the script for the recent The Conjuring: Last Rites, which was released last weekend and will soon cross $200 million at the worldwide box office.
The new Amityville film will be part of a long-running Amityville Horror film series, after a remake was released in 2005 starring Ryan Reynolds, Melissa George and Philip Baker Hall. It also featured the debut of Chloe Grace Moretz. The original 1979 film grossed $86.4 million at the box office since its debut, while the 2005 film earned $65.2 million. Other films in the franchise have included Amityville II: The Possession, Amityville 3-D and Amityville: The Awakening.
Sandberg’s credits include Shazam!, Shazam: Fury of the Gods, Annabelle: Creation and Lights Out. He is represented by CAA and Gotham Group. Goldberg and Naing’s other credits include Fear The Walking Dead, The Nun II, The Autopsy of Jane Doe and Once Upon a Time. Goldberg is represented by WME and New Wave Entertainment, while Naing is repped by Independent Artist Group and Circle Management + Production.
Safran is behind some of the biggest horror movie successes, including The Conjuring franchise, The Annabelle franchise, The Nun II as well as the Shazam! films, Aquaman and the most recent Superman. He currently serves as the co-chairperson and co-CEO of DC Studios alongside James Gunn.