Legendary Pictures Developing a Film Called ERNEST About a Ghost That Goes Viral

There was a big bidding war for a horror film project based on a short story by Geoff Manaugh that was published on Motherboard, which is owned by Vice.com. It's called Ernest and Legendary Pictures ended up winning the rights to the property. The other production companies that were trying to get their hands on Ernest includes Amblin, Studio 8, Sony and Fox 2000.

The studio also hired Christopher Landon to direct the film. He most recently directed the horror thriller Happy Death Day, which actually ended up being a decent horror movie that's worth checking out. If you're not familiar with the story, THR offers the following plot summary:

Manaugh’s short story begins with Jimmy Kimmel asking his TV audience if it wants to see a real ghost. That would be Ernest, so named by the homeowner who discovered him because the apparition looks a bit like Ernest Borgnine. The homeowner, Frank, begins filming his housebound ghost, and sending out the results to the world through social media. The spirit is mostly harmless, confused by his exploitation, but Ernest becomes a global viral sensation.
He conscripts his high school senior Kevin to be part of a series of dinner parties held in the house to cash in on the ghost. This takes a sketchy turn when the teen, and the ghost, turn up missing, endangering Frank’s plans to monetize.

Of course, if you want, you can read the full story here. If you don't mind a little more reading, you might want to check it out! This is a fun and interesting story, and I think it has potential to make a great flick! I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

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