eOne Takes International Rights to Feature Film from Writer and Producer del Toro

Sierra/Affinity to Launch International Sales Outside eOne Territories at the 2018 Cannes Film Market

Los Angeles, CA (April 27, 2018) – Entertainment One (eOne) and CBS Films announced today that the companies will co-finance SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK, from award-winning co-writer and producer Guillermo del Toro. André Øvredal is directing the feature film based on Alvin Schwartz’s internationally best-selling book series. Daniel & Kevin Hageman adapted the script with del Toro, who will also produce the project with Sean Daniel, Elizabeth Grave, Jason F. Brown, and J. Miles Dale. Principal photography is expected to begin this summer in Toronto, Ontario.

eOne will directly distribute the feature in Canada, UK, Australia/New Zealand, Germany, Benelux, Spain, Austria and Switzerland, with partners Sierra/Affinity overseeing sales in all remaining international territories outside of the US, making it available to buyers for the first time at this year’s Cannes Film Market. CBS Films will distribute the film in the US via Lionsgate.

Inspired by one of the most terrifying children’s book series of all time, SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK follows a group of young teens who must solve the mystery surrounding sudden and macabre deaths in their small town.

“SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK, led by the incomparable Guillermo del Toro, is such a chillingly fun ride that it’s sure to leave audiences around the world jumping in their seats,” said Steve Bertram, eOne’s President, Film, Television and Digital. “We’re thrilled to be joining Terry Press and her team at CBS Films, Guillermo, André Øvredal, and the talented group they’ve assembled, and look forward to launching in Cannes through our partners at Sierra/Affinity.”

“Steve said it all,” commented CBS Films President Terry Press, who continued, “and we are thrilled to have eOne joining the SCARY STORIES team.”

Alvin Schwartz is known for a body of work of more than two dozen books of folklore for young readers that explores everything from wordplay and humor to tales and legends of all kinds. His collections of scary stories which include Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and Scary Stories 3 have enthralled millions of readers around the world.

A two-time Academy Award® winner and globally renowned filmmaker, del Toro most recently wrote, directed and produced THE SHAPE OF WATER, which garnered four Oscar wins including Best Motion Picture of the Year and Best Achievement in Directing. His additional credits include the Academy Award winning PAN’S LABYRINTH, HELLBOY and PACIFIC RIM. He is represented by Gary Ungar at Exile Entertainment, Robert Newman at WME and George Hayum at Hirsch, Wallerstein, Hayum, Matlof, and Fishman.

André Øvredal’s past credits include directing the films THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE, TROLLHUNTER and the upcoming title MORTAL. Øvredal is represented by WME, Industry Entertainment and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush & Kaller.

Kevin and Dan Hageman are best known for writing the films THE LEGO MOVIE and HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA as well as the TV series’ Trollhunters and Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu. They are represented by WME, Underground and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush & Kaller.

ABOUT CBS FILMS

CBS Films is a division of CBS Corporation. The division develops, finances, acquires, produces and releases theatrical feature films spanning all genres. For more information, log on to www.cbsfilms.com.

ABOUT ENTERTAINMENT ONE

Entertainment One Ltd. (LSE:ETO) is a global independent studio that specialises in the development, acquisition, production, financing, distribution and sales of entertainment content. The Company’s diversified expertise spans across film, television and music production and sales, family programming, merchandising and licensing, and digital content. Through its global reach and expansive scale, powered by deep local market knowledge, the Company delivers the best content to the world. 

Entertainment One’s robust network includes newly-launched MAKEREADY with Brad Weston, content creation venture Amblin Partners with Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks Studios, Participant Media, and Reliance Entertainment; leading feature film production and global sales company Sierra Pictures; unscripted television production company Renegade 83; world-class music labels Dualtone Music Group and Last Gang; and award-winning digital agency Secret Location. 

The Company’s rights library is exploited across all media formats and includes more than 80,000 hours of film and television content and approximately 40,000 music tracks.

ABOUT SIERRA/AFFINITY LLC

Sierra/Affinity is a leading independent film finance, production and foreign sales company, consistently delivering high-quality, commercially viable feature films for a global audience. Sierra/Affinity capitalizes on the ever-evolving global film marketplace, representing sales of third-party films as well as its own productions designed to appeal to both the North American and global marketplaces. In addition to representing sales of third party films, the company acts as the exclusive sales agent for films developed and produced by Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, Bold Films and Sierra Pictures. Following Entertainment One’s (eOne) strategic equity investment in Sierra Pictures in January 2016, the international sales and distribution of films produced and acquired by eOne Features, as well as eOne-distributed films from The Mark Gordon Company, will be handled by Sierra/Affinity outside of Canada, the UK, Australia/New Zealand, Benelux and Spain, where eOne directly distributes films. The company is also compiling a slate of wide-release, director-driven commercial films with domestic and global appeal that will complement the slates built by its partners.