Writer Lindsay Beer has signed a deal with Paramount Studios to direct the reboot of the 1999 horror film Sleepy Hollow.
Beer, alongside Todd Garner and Spencer Walken of Broken Road Pictures, is set to write, direct and produce the reboot, as reported by Deadline. The original "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" story by Washington Irving tells the classic tale of the Headless Horseman, a ghoul on horseback who terrorizes the small town of Sleepy Hollow and its newest resident, Ichabod Crane.
This classic campfire story has seen its fair share of adaptations along with the 90s film, such as the 1949 Disney animated movie and the 2010s Fox TV series, which ran for four seasons before being canceled. The most famous adaptation, however, was Paramount’s 1999 remake, directed by Tim Burton with Johnny Depp starring as Ichabod Crane. The film grossed more than $200 million at the worldwide box office and is still considered a must-watch around Halloween time by some fans. Christina Ricci starred as Depp’s love interest, with Christopher Walken, Miranda Richardson and Casper Van Dien in other major roles.
Details on the plot for Beer’s adaptation have yet to be announced. Sleepy Hollow is not the only recent project Beer is working on; she also has her hands full with a directorial reboot of a Pet Semetary prequel for Paramount, produced by Lorenzo de Bonaventura. The prequel, labeled as an untitled project based on Stephen King’s 1983 horror novel, is in post-production status and is set to be released sometime this year.
Beer is also working on Paramount’s newest Star Trek film and turning in a draft for a Bambi remake with Disney. The writer-director wrote Netflix's Sierra Burgess is a Loser, starring Stranger Things' Shannon Purser. She is also credited as a writer on 2023’s Barbie movie by Greta Gerwig, and is writing for the screenplay of New Line’s Hello Kitty movie. In terms of television, Beer is writing and show-running Netflix’s The Magic Order, based on the comic book series by Mark Millar.
Co-writer Garner founded and leads Broken Road Productions, and also has a first-look deal with Paramount Studios. The production company, founded in 2005, has produced 25 movies and 3 television series. Some of these titles include Mortal Kombat, Vacation Friends, Possession of Hannah Grace, Haunt, Paul Blart: Mall Cop and its sequel, Tag, Isn’t It Romantic, Knight and Day and others. Garner also recently produced Netflix’s Senior Year, starring Rebel Wilson.
Source: Deadline