Scott Derrickson to direct new adaptation of The Night of the Hunter

Scott Derrickson is set to direct a new adaptation of Davis Grubb’s classic 1953 crime novel, The Night of the Hunter.

The Night of the Hunter tells the twisted story of Harry Powell, a serial killer who poses as a preacher and marries a widow in order to get his hands on her deceased husband’s hidden fortune. Unfortunately, Powell’s new stepchildren, John and Pearl, grow suspicious and quickly become his targets. The novel was previously adapted in 1955 with Robert Mitchum starring as Powell and delivering one of his very best performances. Although the film is now considered to be one of the best of all time (and one of my personal favourites), it received negative reviews upon its release. Acclaimed actor Charles Laughton made his directorial debut with the film, but he took the failure personally and never directed another movie again.

Scott Derrickson will co-write the script for The Night of the Hunter with frequent collaborator C. Robert Cargill. Given the esteemed status of the original movie, Derrickson and Cargill have their work cut out for them. However, as they will be going back to the novel, the pair will be able to do things that just weren’t possible in the ’50s. “For those unfamiliar, NIGHT OF THE HUNTER was based on a novel that was *MUCH DARKER* than the 1950s would allow,” Cargill said on X. “Very excited about this project and thrilled we can finally talk about it.“

Derrickson and Cargill are currently working on the script for Black Phone 2, which will see much of the original cast returning, including Mason Thames as Finney, Madeleine McGraw as Gwen, Jeremy Davies as Terrence, Miguel Mora as Robin, and Ethan Hawke as everyone’s favourite child-killer, The Grabber. A Black Phone sequel wasn’t always in the cards, but Joe Hill, who wrote the short story on which the film is based, knew there would be one as soon as he saw the mask worn by The Grabber. “As soon as I saw the mask, which was designed by Tom Savini and Jason Baker, as soon as I saw the mask, I thought, ‘If this film is a hit, there’ll be a sequel,’ because the mask is so iconic,” Hill said.

The Black Phone 2 is currently slated for a June 27, 2025 release.