Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster, The Favourite) is reportedly looking to adapt western gothic horror novel The Hawkline Monster as his next feature film.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lanthimos will work with New Regency to bring the book to life, while Roy Lee (It) and Andrew Trapani (Winchester) are on board to produce the film.
In the original 1974 novel, The Hawkline Monster followed two outlaws as they come across a young girl who claims a large monster exists in an ice cave under a house, owned by resident Ms. Hawkline. The group is later pulled into a series of supernatural encounters as they uncover the mysteries behind the home.
Plans to adapt The Hawkline Monster went as far back as the 1970’s when late director Hal Ashby (Being There), worked with author Richard Brautigan to form a script. Potential stars even included Jack Nicholson and Dustin Hoffman, then Jeff and Beau Bridges to play the lead roles.
Filmmaker Tim Burton reportedly tried to create the film following Ashby’s death in 1988 and kept Nicholson as a lead with Clint Eastwood.
THR also stated Regency took over the production earlier this year in June after an agreement was reached with the families of Brautigan and Ashby.
Ianthe Brautigan (daughter of Richard Brautigan) is serving as the film’s executive producer with Paul Swensen.
Lanthimos is the latest director to bring The Hawkline Monster to the big screen, following his Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Picture earlier in 2019 for The Favourite, a period-comedy starring Emma Stone, Olivia Coleman and Rachel Weisz.
