Hammer Films Returns With The Woman In Black

The newly reincarnated U.K. studio Hammer Films has snatched up the rights to the Susan Hill’s horror novel The Woman in Black. The screenplay is scripted by Jane Goldman (Stardust and Kick-Ass) with James Watkins (Eden Lake) being named as director on the project.

The story revolves around Arthur Kipps, a young lawyer, who is sent to a remote village to sort out a recently deceased client’s papers. As he works alone in the client’s isolated house he is confronted by a woman dressed entirely in black as he begins to uncover tragic secrets. With the towns residents treating him only with silence on the matter, he is forced to uncover the true identity of the woman in black on his own.

The story has become a classic in Britain, and a stage adaption that has been a permanent fixture since 1989 in London’s West End, as well as a terrifying ITV television adaption that aired on Christmas Eve the same year. It is so popular that the story is taught in British schools. If the new Hammer is anything like its predecessor, the acquisition of this project is a perfect fit.

Hammer Films president and CEO Simon Oakes had this to say about the project “The Woman In Black is an iconic British horror story, and so makes a perfect match for Hammer. Jane Goldman has written a terrific screenplay, and with James Watkins at the helm we feel that this feature adaptation of Susan Hill’s classic novel will be both dynamic and terrifying.”

No word yet on whether or not this film will be shot in 3D as rumored.