The rights to Grady Hendrix’s horror novel My Best Friend’s Exorcism has been acquired by Endeavor Content (Killing Eve, Colette), The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. Happy Death Day writer and director Christopher Landon will be producing the project alongside Gotham Group’s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein.
Described as Beaches meets Heathers meets The Exorcist, the story is set in 1988 and followed the relationship of two best friends, Abby and Gretchen. After an evening of skinny-dipping goes disastrously wrong, Gretchen begins to act more and more different, as Abby slowly comes to believe her friend has become demonically possessed. Both girls must soon face a tough question: is their friendship strong enough to beat the Devil?
Hendrix’s book was named one of Paste Magazine’s 50 best horror novels of all-time, and the author will serve as a creative consultant on the film. Landon may potentially direct the feature from a screenplay by Jenna Lamia (Awkward, 90210).
The novel’s publisher, Quirk Books, will also produce. This will be the first time the book publisher, known for the titles Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, will be producing a movie.
Endeavor Content will co-finance and handle worldwide sales for the project.
Hendrix’s novel Horrorstor is also being adapted for the big screen by Josh Schwartz and Gail Berman. The author’s first original movie, Satanic Panic, starring Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O’Connell, recently wrapped filming.
