David F. Sandberg is on board to helm a fresh installment of The Amityville Horror for Amazon MGM Studios, bringing a new wave of terror to the screen. Peter Safran and John Rickard of The Safran Company are set to produce the film alongside Sandberg, with Natalia Safran and Lotta Losten from the same company stepping into executive producer roles.
The screenplay, penned by the dynamic writing duo Ian Goldberg and Richard Naing, offers a reimagined take on the spine-chilling 1979 classic. That original film, which starred Josh Brolin, Margot Kidder, and Rod Steiger, followed the harrowing tale of a young couple who move into a haunted house, and was based on Jay Anson’s eponymous 1977 novel. Goldberg and Naing, who also scripted the recently released The Conjuring: Last Rites—which raked in over $200 million at the global box office within its opening weekend—are poised to deliver another chilling narrative.
The upcoming Amityville film will join the ranks of a long-standing horror franchise, following a 2005 remake that featured Ryan Reynolds, Melissa George, and Philip Baker Hall, and marked the debut of Chloe Grace Moretz. The original 1979 film struck fear into audiences' hearts, grossing $86.4 million at the box office, while the 2005 iteration earned $65.2 million. Other entries in the series include Amityville II: The Possession, Amityville 3-D, and Amityville: The Awakening.
Sandberg, renowned for his work on Shazam!, Shazam: Fury of the Gods, Annabelle: Creation, and Lights Out, is represented by CAA and Gotham Group. Goldberg and Naing, whose credits also span Fear The Walking Dead, The Nun II, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, and Once Upon a Time, are respectively represented by WME and New Wave Entertainment (Goldberg), and Independent Artist Group and Circle Management + Production (Naing).
Peter Safran, the mastermind behind some of horror’s biggest blockbusters—including The Conjuring franchise, The Annabelle franchise, The Nun II, as well as the Shazam! films, Aquaman, and the latest Superman installment—currently serves as co-chairperson and co-CEO of DC Studios, alongside James Gunn.
