Best known for the surprise breakout indie, Paranormal Activity, Oren Peli made his way to Hollywood by directing and producing the demon-themed horror flick himself, shooting the low-budget feature in his own home. Whether or not you’re a fan of Paranormal, you got to respect Peli’s moxie as well as the success of a film whose sequel has already made more than $120 million worldwide.
While Peli’ second feature, the alien thriller Area 51, is currently in post, talk is already building about his next project, Eliza Graves. Variety reports the self-made horror auteur has signed to direct Sobini Films and Icon Prods. dark drama, which is based on a ghastly tale by Edgar Allan Poe. Scripted by Joe Gangemi (Wind Chill), Eliza Graves centers on an eager med school student, who goes to work at an asylum, where unbeknownst to him the inmates have taken over.
The project has labored in development for over a decade, and in that time has sparked the interest of many big names including Jodie Foster, Natalie Portman, Johnny Depp, Heath Ledger, and Ian McKellan. However, JoBlo notes none of them are presently attached to the asylum-set thriller. It’ll be curious to see if the newbie director will be able to wrangle names of note, and how he will tackle a project that’s out of the found-footage genre he’s known for.
Are you interested in Peli’s Eliza Graves?