James Wan to produce competition series in search of the next great horror director

[News]

Several years ago, a young, unknown filmmaker named David F. Sandberg made a one-minute short film that freaked the internet out so much that blockbuster horror director James Wan (Saw, The Conjuring) produced a full-length adaptation of it. Following the success of that film, Lights Out (which we kinda hated, by the way), Sandberg went on to helm the much better, Annabelle: Creation, and is now in the superhero business with his upcoming Shazam!. The story here is that a fruitful career was born out of a short, and that will also be the story of a new competition series from Wan, which was first reported on by The Hollywood Reporter.

Called Night Vision, the series seeks to bring together 13 filmmakers to compete for a “once-in-a-lifetime development deal with New Line,” the same studio that brought us the Nightmare On Elm Street franchise and last year’s It adaptation. The finalists will be chosen by an elite panel, and the competition will find them putting together a horror short good enough to win them the competition. Wan and his Atomic Monster production company will executive produce alongside Magical Elves, the company behind Top Chef and Project Runway. Warner Bros. digital content creator Stage 13 will help shepherd the project.

(Read: In 2013, The Conjuring Wanted Everyone to Believe in Ghosts)

“I can’t wait to discover the next, new talent in horror,” said Wan in a statement. “This competition is an exciting opportunity for up-and-coming horror directors to get noticed by the industry and audiences alike.”

Stage 13’s Diana Mogollon added, “We want to discover the storytellers who are going to push the genre further and drive a new generation in horror fandom. Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, James Wan and the team at Atomic Monster are leaders in this space and we’re thrilled to be part of this project.”

Let’s just hope whoever wins isn’t saddled with the inevitable Nun sequel. That movie sucked.

There’s no word yet as to where the series will air or when it might premiere. Head to Stage 13’s website for info on how to apply, and watch a video announcement from Wan below.

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