'Piranha' Director Boards Horror-Thriller 'Horns' (Exclusive)

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Horror director Alexandre Aja is teaming up with scary storyteller Joe Hill on the feature adaptation of Hill’s novel Horns, being made by Mandalay Pictures.

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Aja is coming on board to direct the project, about a 26-year-old man who wakes up with a massive hangover and discovers horns sprouting from his head. He becomes convinced that their existence is tied to the unsolved murder of his girlfriend.

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Keith Bunin wrote the script adaptation of the novel, which was published in February 2010.

Mandalay’s Cathy Schulman and Peter Guber are producing. Hill, also the writer of the horror comic book series Locke & Key and the son of author Stephen King, is executive producing.

Mandalay is packaging the project and is in the middle of securing financing. The goal is to have Aja direct the movie in late spring or early summer 2012 before moving on to Cobra, a sci-fi pirate movie based on manga source material. 

Aja, repped by WME and attorney Adam Kaller, last directed the horror hit Piranha 3D. His other credits include The Hills Have Eyes and his French breakout Haute Tension (High Tension).

Mandalay is also developing an adaptation of Hill’s short story Twittering from the Circus of the Dead. Todd Lincoln is attached to direct.  

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