‘Doctor Strange’ Director Scott Derrickson Picks Up ‘The Black Phone’ For Blumhouse

Scott Derrickson’s career has been defined by the many horror films he’s turned into blockbuster hits. Even when he ventured to Marvel for Doctor Strange, he managed to deliver a film that played to his genre strengths. And while he won’t return for the sequel, Derrickson’s next gig will have him adapting the work of horror author, Joe Hill.

Derrickson will reunite with his Sinister colleague C. Robert Cargill for The Black Phone, an adaptation of Hill’s novella. The story was part of Hill’s 20th Century Ghosts collection, and Cargill described it perfectly in a tweet.

Mason Thames (For All Mankind) and Madeleine McGraw (Toy Story 4) will star in the film, which Derrickson will direct and co-write with Cargill. Derrickson has promised an R-rating for this one, too, which should make his fans very happy.

Blumhouse’s Jason Blum is on board to produce along with Derrickson, Cargill, and exec-producer Hill.

This will be first up for Derrickson, although he’s got plenty coming up including a Labyrinth sequel and the mysterious Bermuda with Chris Evans.

Travis Hopson
Travis Hopson has been reviewing movies before he even knew there was such a thing. Having grown up on a combination of bad '80s movies, pro wrestling, comic books, and hip-hop, Travis is uniquely positioned to geek out on just about everything under the sun. A vampire who walks during the day and refuses to sleep, Travis is the co-creator and lead writer for Punch Drunk Critics. He is also a contributor to Good Morning Washington, WBAL Morning News, and WETA Around Town. In the five minutes a day he's not working, Travis is also a voice actor, podcaster, and Twitch gamer. Travis is a voting member of the Critics Choice Association (CCA), Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and Late Night programmer for the Lakefront Film Festival.