Director Rob Savage is moving on from a Stephen King adaptation to a Josh Malerman adaptation, as Deadline reports that The Boogeyman director is now set to helm a film adaptation of Bird Box author Malerman’s novel Incidents Around the House, with Jessica Chastain (It Chapter Two) signed on to play the lead role.
Atomic Monster and Blumhouse are producing the adaptation, which may or may not end up using the title Incidents Around the House, in association with Spin a Black Yarn for Universal Pictures. Atomic Monster’s James Wan is producing, with Savage and Malerman serving as executive producers alongside Michael Clear, Judson Scott, Macdara Kelleher, and Ryan Lewis. Alayna Glasthal is the executive overseeing the project for Atomic Monster. Succession writer Nathan Elston is writing the screenplay.
Deadline notes, “While details behind the film are unknown, in the Malerman novel, the story revolves around a haunting told from the perspective of a young girl whose troubled family is targeted by an entity she calls ‘Other Mommy.’” That brief description somewhat brings to mind another Jessica Chastain horror movie, Mama, which features a supernatural entity referred to by children in Chastain’s care as “Mama.”
Here’s the full description of Malerman’s novel: To eight-year-old Bela, her family is her world. There’s Mommy, Daddo, and Grandma Ruth. But there is also Other Mommy, a malevolent entity who asks her every day: “Can I go inside your heart?” When horrifying incidents around the house signal that Other Mommy is growing tired of asking Bela the question over and over, Bela understands that unless she says yes, her family will soon pay. Other Mommy is getting restless, stronger, bolder. Only the bonds of family can keep Bela safe, but other incidents show cracks in her parents’ marriage. The safety Bela relies on is about to unravel. But Other Mommy needs an answer. You can pick up a copy of the novel at THIS LINK.
What do you think of Jessica Chastain, Rob Savage, Atomic Monster, and Blumhouse teaming up for an adaptation of Josh Malerman’s Incidents Around the House? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
