Are You Afraid of the Dark?, the hit early 1990s anthology show that aired on Nickelodeon, is getting the big-screen treatment!
Paramount Pictures new Paramount Players arm has hired Gary Dauberman, the writer behind the New Line horror movies It and Annabelle: Creation, to pen the script and produce the project!
The conceit of Afraid of the Dark was that the stories in each episode were campfire tales told by a group of teens who called themselves the Midnight Society. The tales ranged from modern takes on urban legends and fairy tales to stories involving creatures such as vampires and aliens. For instance, "The Tale Of The Ghastly Grinner" practically introduced the world to Pennywise's equally creepy joker cousin.
The original Canadian horror/fantasy-themed anthology series was created by D.J. MacHale and Ned Kandel, and was picked up by Nickelodeon USA in 1991, though it didn’t debut until SNICK’s launch on Saturday, Aug. 15, 1992. The show ran until April 1996, and a revival series with new writers, directors, writers and cast members was produced by Nickelodeon from 1999 to 2000.
Some of the Midnight Society players have actually gone on to become recognizable actors you're probably familiar with. JoAnna Garcia Swisher of Reba and Kevin (Probably) Saves the World fame was a lucky member. Rachel Blanchard, who you might know from both the Clueless and Fargo TV adaptations, also appeared in a recurring role. Are You Afraid of the Dark?'s ever-changing cast roster was pretty star-studded. Tia and Tamera Mowry, Will Friedle, Neve Campbell, Hayden Christensen, Jay Baruchel, Tatyana Ali, Melissa Joan Hart, Jewel Staite, and two-time Academy Award nominee Ryan Gosling are just a few of the household names that lent their acting skills to the anthology.
"The show is about the shared experience of telling stories — especially scary ones. We're going to celebrate that with this movie and honor the darker, scarier tone of the show, which was really groundbreaking for Nickelodeon at the time. I hope the Midnight Society approves," Dauberman tells The Hollywood Reporter.
Plot details are being kept under wraps, and its unclear if favorite characters such as Dr. Vink (Aron Tager) and Sardo (That's SarDO! No mister; accent on the doh!; Richard Dumont) will return, however, Tracking Board that Matt Kaplan is on board to produce.
Paramount Players is a new division at Paramount Pictures that is led by Awesomeness founder Brian Robbins and focuses on contemporary talent and properties for young audiences while drawing upon the vast resources of the Viacom brands. Nickelodeon is one of those Viacom brands and is already developing a live-action Dora the Explorer movie, based on Nickelodeon's hit animated preschool series, through Paramount Players with Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes producing.
Dauberman has emerged this year as one of the hottest scribes in town. He is one of three writers credited on the remake of It, which became a massive hit when it debuted this past September, making $683 million worldwide, and is set to return for the sequel. He also recently wrote Annabelle: Creation, which has scared up $305 million, and is on board to pen The Nun, which, like Creation, is an extension of The Conjuring universe. He is currently producing the horror movie The Children for New Line.
Dauberman is repped by ICM Partners, Industry Entertainment and Felker Toczek.
H/T: Huge thanks to PinkiePie97 for the news!; Additional sources: The A.V. Club, 411MANIA, Variety, VICE, Maxim, Bloody Disgusting, Critical Hit, Wikipedia, Elite Daily, Bustle, Refinery29.
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