Two years to the day since it was announced that Osgood Perkins would be directing a cinematic adaptation of author Paul Tremblay's psychological horror novel A HEAD FULL OF GHOSTS (you can pick up a copy of the book HERE), it has been announced that Scott Cooper will be directing the film instead.
This news is quite surprising, because just a few weeks ago, when he was doing press for GRETEL AND HANSEL, Perkins told our friends at Bloody Disgusting that A HEAD FULL OF GHOSTS could be his next film. He said he was happy with the script he had written, but didn't give any indication that someone else could end up directing it.
The announcement that Cooper will be taking the helm also mentions that the director is "revising the current draft", presumably the one written by Perkins.
Margaret Qualley, who recently caught a lot of attention for her role in ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD, has signed on to star in the film.
A HEAD FULL OF GHOSTS will tell the following story:
When 8-year-old Merry’s older sister exhibits signs of an indeterminate and terrifying affliction, the Barrett family slowly tears itself apart. Now, 20 years later, Merry is confronted with her family’s traumatic past when Rachel, a journalist with a similarly haunted past, delves into the case, causing Merry to relive and reconsider the devastating memories of her childhood.
The film is being produced by Cooper, Daniel Dubiecki, Lara Alameddine, Susan Downey, Tyler Thompson, and David Gambino. Robert Downey Jr. serves as executive producer.
Perkins said his script was a "looser" adaptation of the novel,
The good news is that (Tremblay) is really pleased with what I’ve done and has been kind and generous enough to say so. He calls it a sister. He calls the script and the novel sisters, which I think is great."
Cooper made his horror debut with ANTLERS, produced by Guillermo del Toro, which is scheduled to be released on April 17th.