“So, my apartment is currently being haunted by the ghost of a dead child and he’s trying to kill me.” That ominous line, tweeted by former Buzzfeed staffer Adam Ellis in 2017, opened up a supremely creepy thread that detailed the writer’s allegedly true encounter with a ghost. Ellis’ story, which he titled “Dear David,” soon went viral—so viral, in fact, that it’s now being made into a supernatural thriller.
A feature adaptation of Ellis’ tale was originally expected to come from New Line. But now, Buzzfeed has confirmed that it will re-team with Lionsgate to make Dear David their third joint production.
“Based on a true story and one of the first Twitter urban legends, Dear David will tell the story of Adam Ellis, a social media content creator who becomes haunted by the ghost of a boy possessed by a demonic entity,” Deadline reports.
Also Read: Here are Part 1 and Part 2 of DREAD: THE UNSOLVED‘s Dive Into “Dear David”
Dear David also has its director: John McPhail, who made the 2017 zombie horror-comedy musical, Anna And The Apocalypse, will helm the project. The screenplay is written by Mike Van Waes. Shooting is expected to start any day now, and final cast members are currently coming aboard.
Lionsgate’s vice president of co-productions and acquisitions, Lauren Bixby, shared some thoughts on the forthcoming film in Deadline‘s announcement. “Dear David is a terrifyingly creepy and sensational story that will translate perfectly to the big screen,” Bixby says. “It hits our goal of reaching global Millennial and Gen Z audiences by elevating contemporary, authentic new voices.”
Richard Alan Reid, head of global content and head of BuzzFeed Studios, also added: “Ellis’ story captivated audiences across the Internet and built a passionate, global fan base that has been waiting for the film adaptation. We can’t wait to bring this highly-anticipated, harrowing tale to the big screen next year.”
In Ellis’ original account of his bizarre experience, he begins by noting that he suffers from sleep paralysis. Understandably, he was led to believe that his purported haunting was a delusion created by this unique condition. But as his dreams kept getting weirder, he decided to decode them. Ellis documented a variety of sounds, images, and videos, ultimately confirming his deepest fear: That a ghost, nicknamed “Dear David,” was actually after him.
Tags: Adam Ellis Buzzfeed Dear David Lionsgate
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