FANGORIA Studios has announced – via Fangoria.com, of course – that they’re teaming up with PANICK Studios for a film adaptation of Panick Entertainment’s horror comic book series Black Diamond, and Tales From the Crypt: Demon Knight and Bones director Ernest Dickerson has signed on to take the helm!
The comic book series was described as a chilling Nordic thriller fusing Hitchcock’s psychological tension with the folk horror of The Wicker Man. On a family ski trip, Owen and Victoria Welch’s son is abducted. A mysterious cult gives them an unthinkable choice: find another child to sacrifice — or lose their own. As time runs out and the authorities close in, the couple must confront how far they’ll go to save their family.
Brendan Columbus, the creator of the comic, is writing the screenplay. The film is being produced by Tara Ansley, Abhi Goel, and Armen Aghaeian for FANGORIA Studios, with Adam Schlagman, Kris Longo, and Brendan Columbus producing for PANICK Studios. Rose Geddes serves as an executive producer alongside Dickerson.
Columbus provided the following statement: “Black Diamond was my attempt to put everything I love about thrillers on the page. I want to make sure it feels like you physically can’t leave the theater or else you’ll miss the next twist or turn. With his masterful cinematic eye and his great story sense, Ernest is going to scare the hell out of everyone with this one.“
Dickerson added, “Black Diamond immediately grabbed me because its horror is rooted in impossible human choices. It taps into parental fear, morality, isolation, and survival in a way that is so unsettling and emotionally real. That combination will make for a very suspenseful and exciting cinematic experience.“
Aghaeian said, “Ernest has been an inspiration to us since his work on Spike Lee’s Malcolm X, so getting to make this film alongside him feels like a full-circle moment. Brendan and the PANICK team have built a world where every choice cuts deep, and a story like that deserves a director who understands both dread and the human heart in equal measure. We couldn’t be more excited to be working with this team.“
In addition to Demon Knight and Bones, Dickerson’s directing credits include Juice, Surviving the Game, Bulletproof, and episodes of a whole lot of TV shows: Criminal Minds, Heroes, Masters of Horror, Fear Itself, ER, Burn Notice, The Vampire Diaries, Dexter, The Walking Dead, The Man in the High Castle, House of Cards, The Purge, Bosch, Bosch: Legacy, Raised by Wolves, and many more.
Are you interested to see what Ernest Dickerson is going to do with Black Diamond? Let us know by leaving a comment below.