New SLEEPY HOLLOW Movie Is Still in Development with Lindsey Anderson Beer Directing
It was announced last year that Lindsey Anderson Beer (Pet Sematary: Bloodlines) would be directing a new live-action adaptation of Washington Irving's classic horror story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
THR has reported that Beer’s first look deal at the studio has been renewed and that her Sleepy Hollow movie is still in development. She will write, direct, and produce the film.
When previously talking about the movie, Beer explained: "Sleepy Hollow ... There are a lot of skill sets that are similar in terms of its beloved IP.”
She went on to say: “It's also the same kind of thing where when I was doing Bloodlines, I kept asking myself when I was doing the rewrites, 'What would I want to know as a Pet Sematary fan? What are the questions left unanswered from the book? And what are the parts of the book that haven't been explored in movies?'"
She continued: "For instance, the end of [Pet Sematary] says that Jud is the guardian of the woods, and the book says that Jud's experience with Timmy Baterman is the reason that the evil is even targeting him as an old man, that we know ... “
She added: “There are so many things like that that aren't explored in films, and that a lot of the fans don't know because they haven't read the book, or haven't read the book for so much time."
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is set in the Dutch settlement of Tarrytown, New York, in a secluded glen known as Sleepy Hollow, it tells the tale of Ichabod Crane, a lanky and superstitious schoolmaster from Connecticut. Ichabod competes with the town's strongman, Brom Bones, for the hand of Katrina Van Tassel, the daughter of a wealthy farmer.
Ichabod ends up encountering what he believes to be the ghost of a headless Hessian trooper, said to be searching for his missing head. This apparition, the Headless Horseman, chases Ichabod through the woods, ultimately leading to the schoolmaster's mysterious disappearance.
The classic tale concludes with hints that the ghostly figure was in fact Brom Bones playing a trick on Crane to scare him away from Sleepy Hollow and Katrina.
Other projects that Beer will be working on include Here Comes the Dark, a supernatural thriller spec script by Shane and Carey Van Dyke.
There’s a sci-fi thriller titled Optimize, based on a short story of the same name written by Beer, which she will direct, write and produce.
She’s also developing a feature on the popular toy brand American Girl,, which she will write and produce alongside Mattel Films and Temple Hill.
Then there’s Searching for Susy Thunder, based on the true story of Susan Thunder, one of the first and most infamous hackers in the 1980s and Wilderness Reform, based on Matt and Harrison Query’s upcoming book of the same name.
Daria Cercek and Mike Ireland, co-presidents of Paramount Pictures Motion Picture Group, said in a statement: “Lindsey is a wonderfully gifted writer, director and producer with sharp instincts and a distinct creative vision, who also happens to be a truly delightful person. We’re thrilled to continue making movies together and building on our success.”