Supernatural Action Project 'Spectral' Lands at Legendary Pictures (Exclusive)

Legendary Pictures is going ghost-busting, picking up the supernatural action project Spectral from writer Ian Fried.

The premise of the project is centered on a modern-day, militaristic and gritty approach to fighting the supernatural. Sources say the pitch, which sold for six figures, has been described as a darker and more serious take on a Ghostbusters-like story, with a plot that revolves around a special ops group formed to bring down evil ghosts that have taken over Manhattan. Locations and details might change over the course of the writing, however.

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Fried worked up a treatment and made a presentation involving a "rip reel," a mash-up of scenes from other movies that showed the Warner Bros.-based Legendary what the tone, story beats and visual style would be.

Fried is an emerging writer who previously wrote the well-liked script The Ever After Murders, featuring fairy tale characters Tom Thumb and Rachel Riding investigating a killing. That screenplay landed on the 2010 Black List. This summer, Gaslight, a Gothic serial killer story featuring Florence Nightingale and Jack the Ripper, made the rounds and got Fried plenty of meetings.

He is repped by WME and Prolific Entertainment.

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