Disney Channel sensation Bella Thorne is set to star in the new “Amityville” horror movie for Dimension Films and Blumhouse Productions, multiple individuals familiar with the project have told TheWrap.
Franck Khalfoun (“Maniac”) will direct the fright flick, which according to Bloody Disgusting, will also star Jennifer Jason Leigh. Daniel Farrands and Casey La Scala co-wrote the script and are expected to produce with Jason Blum of hit factory Blumhouse.
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Leigh will play a single mother who moves her three kids into the “Amityville” house, which of course has a very dark history.
Dimension had planned on reigniting the popular horror franchise using a found-footage angle but that idea has been dropped, as the format appears to have fallen out of favor with discerning genre fans. “Amityville” remains scheduled for release on Jan. 2, 2015.
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The original “Amityville Horror” was released in 1979 and received a high-profile remake in 2005 that starred Ryan Reynolds and Chloe Moretz. The franchise is based on Jay Anson’s book “The Amityville Horror: A True Story.”
Thorne, who starred on the hit Disney Channel series “Shake It Up!,” will soon be seen in Voltage Pictures’ thriller “Home Invasion.” She also co-stars in the Disney movie “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,” as well as the Adam Sandler comedy “Blended.” She’s repped by WME, LBI Entertainment and attorney Howard Fishman.