Berlin: ‘Clown in a Cornfield’ YA Horror From ‘Smile’ Producers Sells Out for Protagonist (Exclusive)

Buyers have flocked to Clown in a Cornfield, the upcoming young-adult slasher thriller from Temple Hill Entertainment, the production company behind box office smash Smile. 

Protagonist Pictures has sold out all international territories on the film, set to be directed by Eli Craig (Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil) and adapted by Carter Blanchard from Adam Cesare’s Bram Stoker Award-winning novel.

Entertainment Film Distributors acquired the title for the U.K., Constantin Film for Germany and Switzerland, SND for France, Belga Films for Benelux, Elevation Pictures for Canada, Studiocanal for Australia and New Zealand, M2 Films for Eastern Europe, NOS Audiovisuais for Portugal, ACME for Baltics and Tohokushinsha for Japan. Sony Pictures’ Stage 6 Films closed a mult-territory deal on the project, taking all other international markets. 

Clown in a Cornfield centers on a fading midwestern town, in which Frendo the clown — a symbol of bygone success — reemerges as a terrifying scourge. A sequel to Cesare’s novel, Clown in A Cornfield II: Frendo Lives, was published in August 2022, and a third installment is already in the works.

“We’re so glad international distributors also see the great promise in Eli’s vision of scary fun,” said Temple Hill’s producers in a joint statement. “We can’t wait for this terrifying slasher adaptation that is both timely and timeless to hit cinemas around the world.”

Added George Hamilton, Protagonist’s chief commercial officer: “The fervor with which our international partners leapt at this film is a testament to both the commercial strength of the project our friends at Temple Hill have put together, and Eli’s enduring legacy as a horror master. We cannot wait for the cameras to roll.”

Temple Hill’s supernatural horror Smile was released in September and amassed a global box office of more than $216 million against a budget of $17 million.