In a big move for helmer Dennis Gansel, Variety reports that Universal have pinned down the German helmer to tackle a horror picture, Grim Night. Marc Platt (Drive, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) and Unbroken Pictures have thrown some weight behind this, a semi-adaptation of Brandon Bestenheider and Allen Bey‘s short film; they’ve also composed the feature-length incarnation’s screenplay. Gansel is currently in talks for the job.

Both have what is, on the surface, a very simple premise: Every year, for one night, creatures of the unknown (named “Grims”) invade a small town and wreak havoc upon those not locked behind their doors. The direction it takes from that point forward is unbeknownst to us, though the original work clearly (hopefully) had enough going on to make this a worthy endeavor. (The deadly two-word combination of “potential franchise” was thrown out.) Gansel, though unfamiliar to yours truly, got some nice remarks for his 2008 feature, The Wave. Seeing as little else is out there right now, I’ll take that as an acceptable sign.

You can watch a trailer for the short right below:

What do you make of Grim Night? Have you seen any of Gansel’s other films?