A few years ago, we shared the news that AWA Comics would be launching a line of horror comics, starting with a graphic novel called Hotell, from the creative team of writer John Lees and artist Dalibor Talajic. A cinematic adaptation of Hotell is now in the works, and Deadline reports that Elle Callahan (Head Count, Witch Hunt) will be directing the film, based on a screenplay she’s writing with Anthony Ruff.
Hotell is set at
a mysterious roadside hotel where lost souls make their last stand with the demons that haunt them. You won’t find it on any map, but if you happen to be driving down Route 66 late at night and you’re truly desperate for shelter, sanctuary or secrecy, you might see a battered sign on the side of the road: The Pierrot Courts Hotel – where many check in but few check out: the woman whose unborn child urges her to do terrible, terrible things… the man who can’t get rid of his wife no matter how many times he chops her body into pieces… the failed priest performing a desperate exorcism on a kidnapped boy… the investigative journalist on the trail of a serial killer, who discovers a terrible secret in the crawlspace between the hotel walls. These are but a few of the Pierrot Courts Hotel’s guests, and all of them will wish they had just kept driving.
Callahan had this to say about making the Hotell movie;
I’m very excited to be working with AWA to adapt John Lees’ terrifying graphic novel Hotell. I aim to tell stories that push the horror genre in new directions — and my plan for this piece involves a very unique approach to the storytelling. This horror will feel all too relatable, and no doubt keep you up at night.”
Lees added:
The setting of Pierrot Courts works as a canvas within which you can tell all kinds of different horror stories, from the harrowing to the blackly comic, and introduce all manner of different characters. It’s also a world ripe for new interpretations, and I’m so excited to see how Elle Callahan will bring our haunted hotel to the world of film.”
Hotell is being produced by Zach Studin, the president of AWA Studios.
Have you read Hotell? If so, are you excited to see the concept being brought to the screen? Share your thoughts on this project by leaving a comment below.