Published in 2012, author Adam Nevill's novel THE RITUAL told the story of
four friends from college who head off into the Scandinavian wild in an effort to get away from it all and reconnect with each other. But what begins as a trip of bonding and friendship turns into a nightmare when they take a shortcut and end up lost. Some of them are injured and they seem stranded with nothing but forrest in every direction direction. While trying to find their way back to civilization, they come across what seems to be an abandoned cottage. Inside they discover ancient artifacts on the wall and bones scattered on the floor in a sacrificial manner. They soon discover that something is stalking them and is intent on keeping them from leaving the woods.
That story is now set to receive a cinematic adaptation, and it's going to be shepherded to the screen by popular character actor Andy Serkis, who can often be found covered with motion capture sensors while portraying the likes of Peter Jackson's KING KONG, Gollum in the LORD OF THE RINGS movies, Caesar the ape in the recent PLANET OF THE APES films, and the mysterious Supreme Leader Snoke in STAR WARS: EPISODE VII – THE FORCE AWAKENS. Serkis will be producing THE RITUAL with Jonathan Cavendish under the banner of his production company The Imaginarium.
Joe Barton is writing the screenplay. The film will be financed and distributed by eOne.
I haven't read Nevill's book, but the plot description sounds like it could make for the sort of movie I would love to watch.