André Øvredal In Talks To Direct ‘Last Voyage Of The Demeter’; Orion Picks Up ‘10-31’; Richard Kahan To Pen Charles Ponzi Biopic – Film Briefs

Norwegian filmmaker André Øvredal is in very early talks to direct The Last Voyage Of The Demeter for Amblin Partners, Deadline has confirmed. The film is based on Bram Stoker’s classic novel Dracula about seminal vampire’s sea voyage to England aboard The Demeter. The initial screenplay is by Escape Room scribe Bragi Schut. Mike Medavoy, Brad Fischer and Arnold Messer, the producers behind such films as Black Swan, Shutter Island, and Zodiac, are producing the project. Øvredal’s most recent directorial outings include the Lionsgate horror thriller, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and The Autopsy of Jane Doe. THR was first to break this story.

Orion Pictures has obtained the rights to 10-31, a horror script from screenwriters Ian Shorr (Infinite) and Peter Gamble (Office Uprising) with Eli Roth and Roger Birnbaum attached to produce under their Arts District Entertainment shingle alongside John Zaozirny’s Bellevue Productions. Based on the story by Laurie Ashbourne and screen story by Kathy Charles, the plot follows a young woman who takes her niece and nephew trick-or-treating and discovers a note inside a candy wrapper that says there’s a killer loose on her block. The pic is said to be on the fast track towards production. Michael Besman will serve as executive producer on behalf of Arts District, while Dan Kagan will oversee production for Orion.

Outlander writer Richard Kahan has been tapped to rewrite the screenplay for a Charles Ponzi biopic based on Donald Dunn’s novel, Ponzi: The Incredible True Story of the King of Financial Cons. The project hails from Flag On The Play Productions and producers Dominic Zamprogna and Travis Schneider. It’s the story of an Italian immigrant searching for success in turn-of-the-century America, yearning to start a life with his new bride amidst the land of opportunity – it’s a sprawling, rags-to-riches tale of love and greed along the serpentine road to infamy. In addition to writing, Kahan has appeared on shows like Smallville and Grey’s Anatomy. He’s also one of the producers of Magnolia Pictures’ indie western Lucky, starring Harry Dean Stanton and David Lynch.

View this article at Deadline.