After obtaining the rights just a few months ago, Wayfare Entertainment has chosen their man to adapt the highly acclaimed short film, The Gate. According to THR, the New York-based company, which will also finance and produce the project, have hired Mitchell Akselrad to pen the big screen adaptation.
Matt Westrup, the director of the original short, will be making his feature length debut for the film, and will also be producing with Spencer Friend and Wayfare’s Ben Browning and Sarah Shepard. Although he’s a relatively unknown in Hollywood, Akselrad‘s other writing credits include Agent, which is currently being developed by New Regency, as well as The Turn, which was just sold to AMC.
For those who haven’t seen the short, many have compared it to Neill Blomkamp‘s Alive in Joburg, which as we know later became District 9, as well as Vincenzo Natali‘s 2009 film, Splice. Although the similarities are evident, The Gate can surely stand alone, which could be the whole reason for Wayfare’s interest in the project. If you haven’t seen the original, I recommend checking it out below. Or you could head over to the Joyrider Films website, to see Westrup‘s other projects.
What do you think of Wayfare hiring Akselrad to pen The Gate?