News out of Vancouver, or more accurately, Brightlight Pictures, comes the announcement that the company has been optioned the rights to Michael Slade’s first novel, the psychological horror-filled Headhunter. It’s also been announced that the screenplay will be written by Wil Zmak, who you folks might remember from THE DARK HOURS, and the film itself will be directed by Patrick Lussier (WHITE NOISE 2).
Commenting on the announcement, Slade (the penname of Canadian lawyer Jay Clarke) says Brightlight Pictures sees eye-to-eye with him on the Mounties. “They aren’t caricatures in celluloid red serge, but that’s how they’ve been filmed for a century. Brightlight isn’t afraid to take on volatile stories. One hundred and fifty FBI agents live and work in Vancouver. In the Headhunter movie, both [the Mounties and FBI] will go head-to-head.”
Patrick Lussier is also thrilled to be on board. “I’ve wanted to film Michael Slade’s ‘Headhunter’ since first reading it almost 20 years ago. The impact of the thriller’s twists and turns are as shocking now as they were then. After working with Shawn, Stephen and Brightlight Pictures on WHITE NOISE 2: THE LIGHT, it’s perfect for us all to reunite on this.”
In Slade’s bestseller, a serial killer nicknamed ‘The Headhunter’ is loose on the streets of Vancouver, and the victims are everywhere: floating in the Fraser River, buried in a shallow grave, nailed to an Indian totem pole on the university campus. All are women, all are headless. It’s up to the RCMP to stop the killer before they strike again.