Lionsgate Acquires Joss Whedon-Produced 'The Cabin in the Woods,' Starring Chris Hemsworth

Lionsgate has acquired worldwide distribution rights to the horror movie The Cabin in the Woods from MGM, which had originally scheduled it for release way back in 2009. The movie is now set  to open April 13.

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Co-written by Joss Whedon, of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame, and Drew Goddard, who wrote 2008’s Cloverfield, the movie marks Goddard’s directorial debut. 

Chris Hemsworth, who’s a bigger star now than when he shot to the film thanks to his starring role in Thor, plays a young professional who visits a quaint cabin in the woods with a group of friends where he discovers something horrifying. Whedon, who also produced the movie, has described it as “the horror movie to end all horror movies.” And the fact that the movie, which had been sidelined in the midst of the MGM bankruptcy, is now scheduled to hit theaters in the spring  will be good news to the legion of Whedon fans.

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Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford, Kristen Connolly, Brian J. White, Amy Acker, Fran Kranz and Jesse Williams also star in the film.

The acquisition was announced Wednesday by Joe Drake, president of Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group, and Jason Constantine, president of acquisitions and co-productions. Lionsgate will distribute in North America and the U.K., with Lionsgate’s international sales team handling international sales.

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Negotiations on behalf of Lionsgate were overseen by Constantine along with Lionsgate senior vp acquisitions Eda Kowan and executive vp business and legal affairs Wendy Jaffe.